UPDATE (Wednesday, April 17 at 4:41 p.m. ET): There's been a new development. A judge has blocked the evidence from being released until there's a hearing. Here's what ESPN's T.J. Quinn reported Wednesday afternoon:
--End of Update--
The police surveillance videos of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and others allegedly paying for sexual favors at Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla., will be released after all.
Why are the videos going to be released? Here's what John R. Ellement of The Boston Globe reported Wednesday:
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg’s office said in court papers it is obligated under Florida law to provide the video to the public and the media now and cannot wait for a judge to decide whether it should be kept under seal while Lei Wang is prosecuted as the alleged manager of the Orchids of Asia Spa in Jupiter, Fla.
Kraft's lawyers have tried to prevent the videos from being released. They argued last week that the release of the videos will cause the 77-year-old "irreparable harm" and could "destroy" his chances of a fair trial.
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The Patriots owner and other defendants filed a motion in March to prevent the release of the spa videos. Earlier this month, several media outlets, including The Boston Globe, filed a joint motion opposing Kraft's protective order of the spa videos.
Kraft requested a jury trial last month. The Patriots owner also reportedly rejected a plea deal that would have dropped the charges against him if he admitted he would've been found guilty in court. Kraft was charged in February with two separate counts of soliciting prostitution.
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