State v. Mendez

f 1 Mario Mendez appeals a ruling allowing the Yakima Herald-Republic access to previously sealed billing records from his murder prosecution. We conclude that the newspaper had standing to unseal the records of this closed criminal case and that the trial court did not err in permitting access to nonprivileged materials. The disclosure order is affirmed.

FACTS

¶2 Mr. Mendez and Jose Sanchez were charged in Yakima County with aggravated murder in the killings of Ricardo and Meya Causor. The prosecutor filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty for each defendant. The court appointed…