An Arizona judge has denied a request to let a man charged in the death of a young girl visit his dying mother in a Las Vegas hospital.
Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen issued a ruling earlier this week on the request from an attorney for Justin James Rector.
Defense attorney Gerald Gavin told Jantzen that Rector's mother is on life support and likely won't recover. Gavin says Rector wanted to tell her goodbye.
Rector is charged with first-degree murder in the 2014 strangulation death of 8-year-old Isabella "Bella" Grogan-Cannella. Her body was found in a shallow grave near her home in Bullhead City.
Jantzen also allowed one of Rector's attorneys who cited a conflict of interest to withdraw from the case.
