JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A meeting next week could determine whether convicted murderer Ronnie Hyde pleads to charges in the pending child pornography case against him or heads to another trial.
Hyde was convicted in April of the cold case murder of Nassau County 16-year-old Fred Laster, whose dismembered torso was found behind a Lake City dumpster in 1994. He is also charged with 25 counts of possessing images depicting child sexual exploitation. His attorneys successfully separated those charges from his murder case, saying they were unrelated and would be unfairly prejudicial to jurors at trial.
At a hearing Wednesday, prosecutors said they had "at long last" obtained the "materials necessary for the defense to review to determine whether or not they are going to plead to the remaining counts," Assistant State Attorney Alan Mizrahi told the judge. "We have scheduled that meeting for next week, Wednesday the 24th."
If a plea deal is reached, it could= be announced at Hyde's next court date on Sept. 1.
Hyde received a mandatory life sentence in prison for Laster's murder, but could face additional time if convicted of the child pornography charges.
Investigators found numerous computer discs during a search of his Jacksonville Beach home in 2017, containing what they say were hundreds of images of child sexual abuse. Each of the 25 charges is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.