Jury to hear suspect statements in burglaries

A judge denied a request Monday by a woman accused of burglarizing the home of Orlando Bloom to have her statements to police barred from her trial.

Defendant Alexis Neiers, 18, testified that she didn't understand her rights to remain silent and have an attorney present for the interviews.

Her attorneys argued she repeatedly asked for an attorney while being questioned by police at her home and at a police station after her arrest last year.

Superior Court Judge Leslie A. Swain disagreed, saying a videotape of Neiers' interview showed she had ample opportunity to invoke her right to an attorney. The judge said the statements will be admissible during the trial, scheduled to begin May 10.

Neiers, the star of the E! Entertainment Television show "Pretty Wild," could face as many as six years in prison if convicted of a sole count of felony residential burglary. She has pleaded not guilty to the break-in at Bloom's home.

Defendant Nicholas Prugo, an alleged ringleader of the group, is also seeking to have his lengthy statements to a detective ruled inadmissible.

In court filings, Prugo's attorneys argued that his cooperation was so substantial _ and detrimental to his safety _ that seven felony residential burglary charges against him should be dropped.

In a transcript of her interview with police, Neiers claimed she was drunk when she went to the actor's home with three other people. She told a detective she didn't take anything from the house.

Four other people are charged in burglaries at the homes of stars such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Rachel Bilson. They include Rachel Lee, who is accused of three counts of felony burglary and receiving stolen property.