Judge Lifts Broad Restrictions on Coverage of Accused Killer

PALESTINE (AP/Staff) – A Palestine judge has backtracked on an earlier order that placed extraordinary restrictions on media coverage of the man suspected of killing a family of six at an Anderson County campsite. District Judge Deborah Oakes Evans on Nov. 20 approved a motion by the attorney for William Hudson that forbids reporting on the evidence compiled against him and any photographs of him. The motion also required that all pretrial hearings be held in her chambers and not in open court. Evans issued a revised order Tuesday removing those restrictions following complaints by media companies, including the Palestine Herald-Press. Evans was not available Wednesday for comment. Hudson is charged with six counts of capital murder in last month’s killing on rural land adjacent to his.