RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — The criminal trial of Mercedes Carrera and her husband on multiple child sexual abuse charges, which was due to start today, has been postponed until Jan. 9, 2023.
As XBIZ reported, back in July the trial was finally scheduled for Oct. 3 after numerous long delays.
Carrera and her husband, Jason Whitney, were arrested after a police raid of their Rancho Cucamonga home on Feb. 1, 2019.
By the time they go to trial, they will have been in the county jail awaiting trial for almost four years, held initially without bail and later, after they had liquidated their assets and had no source of income due to their incarceration, with bail set at $2 million for each.
According to court documents, a trial readiness hearing was held on Friday and the parties made the decision to vacate the Oct. 3 date and postpone the trial to Jan. 9 of next year, with a readiness date on Jan 6.
XBIZ contacted Carrera’s lawyer, a private “conflict board attorney” appointed by the public defender’s office, who gave no comment beyond noting the trial has been “delayed.”
For more of XBIZ’s coverage of the Mercedes Carrera case, click here.