Brendan Creato was found dead in a park hours after his dad, now accused of his killing, called 911.
CAMDEN -- The judge in the murder trial of David "D.J." Creato Jr. has barred members of the media from accompanying the jury on its visit to the spot in Cooper River Park where Creato's son was found dead.
Camden County Superior Court Judge John T. Kelley did not give any reason for his decision, but a spokesperson for the trial court said he was worried that members of the media would take photographs of jurors or would somehow interfere with the jurors ability to take in the scene.
Brendan Creato, 3, was found dead on a rock in a stream in the park Oct. 13, 2015, several hours after his father called 911 to report him missing. Creato, 23, suggested to authorities that his son knew how to unlock the door and must have wandered out sometime overnight.
Samantha Denoto, Brendan's mother, testified that she secretly recorded a conversation with Creato when he said that the spot by the river was "sacred" and perhaps the "spirits" called the boy to go there.
But Prosecutor Christine Shah told jurors in her opening statement Thursday that the boy's clean socks prove that Creato killed his son and carried him to the spot in the woods. She claims that Creato killed the boy because his girlfriend, 17-year-old Julia Stensky, did not like the child and it was creating problems in their relationship.
Shah wants to take the jury to the spot in hopes of proving the walk from Creato's home on Cooper Street to the stream -- three-quarters of a mile, she said -- is too difficult for a toddler.
Creato has denied the charges.
State: Dad claimed spirit drew boy to stream
His murder trial has garnered plenty of media attention. Last week, members of the media were given permission to photograph and record in the courtroom.
Even so, at the last minute before jury selection began, Presiding Judge Deborah Silverman Katz told reporters Kelley had decided not to allow any cameras or recording devices during jury selection, despite assurances from reporters that they would not photograph potential jurors.
An attorney for NJ Advance Media contacted the court Monday morning in an effort to protect access for the press at the site visit. No response was given other than the judge's order, which was emailed just after 4 p.m. The site visit is expected to take place Tuesday if weather permits.
Attorneys interviewed by PhillyVoice for an article about the barring of media said that case law states the judge must convene a hearing in open court before ordering that any court proceeding be closed. The news site on Monday afternoon requested such a hearing take place.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.