police killed

A judge has shut a courtroom from the public and reporters as he heard pretrial motions in the death penalty case of a South Carolina man charged with killing two police officers in a 2018 ambush. Court hearings in South Carolina are almost always open. But WPDE-TV reported that lawyers for Frederick Hopkins successfully argued Thursday holding a public hearing about whether some evidence or statements from witness would be allowed at his trial would expose potential jurors to information a judge might later decide to exclude. Prosecutors did not challenge the request.