A Marin County judge extended a gag order yesterday and sealed virtually all documents relating to the self-described "Family" and alleged child abuse that led to the death of one of their 13 children.
The orders came over the objections of The Chronicle's attorney, Rachel Matteo-Boehm, who said the public has a constitutional right to know what is going on in the case.
"There is absolutely no precedent for such a broad, sweeping shutout of public oversight," Matteo-Boehm argued.
But Marin County Superior Court Judge Terrence Boren was apparently swayed by the arguments of the defendants' attorneys, who said a "cascade of lurid, sensationalized" news accounts was hurting their clients' right to a fair trial.
The case received widespread attention after the adults were arrested in connection with the death of a 19-month-old boy. The Marin coroner concluded that the child had died of malnutrition and neglect.
Self-styled patriarch Winnfred Wright and his live-in girlfriends -- Carol Louise Bremner, Mary Campbell and -- were later indicted by a grand jury on charges of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder and child endangerment.
The newest member of the group, Kali Polk-Matthews, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment and subsequently posted $100, 000 bail.
Boren yesterday barred Polk-Matthews from visiting the 12 surviving children, who are now in protective custody.
The group forced the children to live by a "Book of Rules" that, if broken, required the kids to be ceremoniously whipped with belts and force-fed spicy jalapeno peppers, according to court documents.
Other times, the children's mouths were taped shut for violating rules, the records said. One girl allegedly told investigators she had been tied to a playpen for two weeks when, during an enforced fast, she took some food on the sly.
Wright fathered all of the children with three of the women. The adults allegedly forced the children to live on a strict vegetarian diet in virtual isolation inside their Marinwood home, without any formal schooling.
Meanwhile, Campbell, the mother of the dead child and five others, delivered another baby on Friday night, according to jail officials. Wilson, who has five children with Wright, is pregnant.
Among the documents sealed yesterday were 3,500 pages of evidence, about 20 audio tapes, two videotapes and 900 pages of grand jury transcripts.
The defendants, who have yet to enter pleas, are scheduled to return to court April 2 for a hearing on the assigning of lawyers to represent the children.