Anna Tang’s Motion For More Freedoms Denied Wednesday
A motion to grant Anna L. Tang greater freedoms was denied in a hearing on Wednesday at Middlesex Superior Court. Tang, a former Wellesley College student, is accused of stabbing Wolfe B. Styke ’10 seven times in his Next House residence on Oct. 23, 2007.
Tang has been under house arrest since she was released on $10,000 bail on Jan. 9. She is currently allowed to leave her Framingham apartment only for church, counseling appointments, and workouts in the exercise room at her apartment complex.
Tang’s lawyer filed a motion to allow her to “travel independently by public transportation when feasible,” to attend two classes at either Framingham State College or Massachusetts Bay Community College, to attend “yoga, ballet, cooking and/or art classes twice a week,” and to attend circus classes at Simply Circus in Newton, Mass.
Oral arguments centered around her request to be allowed to attend classes at Framingham State College or Massachusetts Bay Community College. In the end, Judge Diane M. Kottmyer ruled that the motion was “premature,” as Tang had yet to actually enroll at either college. Kottmyer denied the motion without prejudice, indicating that she might reconsider it at a later time.
Robert A. George, Tang’s attorney, called the situation “a Catch-22 within another Catch-22.” According to George, the counseling Tang is receiving as a condition for her release is being paid for by Tang’s student insurance, but Tang must be an actively enrolled student to remain eligible for that insurance. George noted that the judge is unwilling to grant the motion allowing Tang to attend classes without paperwork indicating that Tang has already enrolled, but that enrolling itself requires paying tuition up front.
The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
The hearing on non-evidentiary motions has been continued to Aug. 18. George said that he would be refiling the motion to modify Tang’s bail conditions on that date. Sept. 12 has been set as the date for hearing motions to suppress evidence, the final pretrial conference is scheduled for Dec. 15, and the trial is currently scheduled for Jan. 5.