SACRAMENTO — Pretrial hearings and jury selection proceedings will be open to the public in the case of UC Davis’ “sweetheart” murders, a Sacramento Superior Court Judge ruled Friday.

Judge Michael Sweet’s decision shot down an attempt by the attorneys for Richard Joseph Hirschfield, 62, to conduct the hearings — including arguments on more than 130 pretrial motions — behind closed doors.

Hirschfield’s lead defense attorney, Linda Parisi, delivered a lengthy argument in which she said the pretrial publicity would make it difficult for her client to receive a fair trial by an unbiased jury.

Her motion was opposed by Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet, the prosecutor in the case, and by an attorney for The Sacramento Bee.

In his ruling, Sweet said “the case law is pretty clear” when it comes to open access to courtrooms, which he said fosters public confidence in the criminal justice system. As for the potential effects on Hirschfield, “there are remedies to deal with these difficulties if they present themselves.”

Hirschfield is accused of kidnapping and killing UCD students John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves, both 18, on Dec. 20, 1980, after the couple ushered a performance of the “Davis Children’s Nutcracker.” Their bodies were found two days later in a Sacramento County ravine.

Authorities arrested Hirschfield in 2004 after a cold-hit DNA match identified him as a suspect in the case.

Pretrial motions, including a defense bid for a change of venue for the trial, are scheduled to be argued next week and beyond. The trial itself is slated to start in January.

— Reach Lauren Keene at [email protected] or (530) 747-8048. Follow her on Twitter @laurenkeene

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