A Kansas judge has ruled that an accused killer can wear a turtleneck sweater to cover his neck tattoo because his body can be used against him in court.
Lawyers for Jeffrey Chapman, 32, argued that jurors would prejudge Chapman if they were allowed to see the word “MURDER” that is tattooed backwards across his neck from ear to ear.
The Kansas man is in jail awaiting trial for a 2011 murder.
State law prevents a tattoo artist from going into a licensed jail facility to remove the tattoo.
The defense attorney and a Barton County District Court judge reached a compromise that would allow Chapman to wear a turtleneck sweater during his trial.
Chapman’s trial is scheduled to start on August 18, 2014.
Temperatures often soar above 90 Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) in Kansas in August.
Chapman’s lawyers also asked the court to order that the tattoo not be mentioned during the trial.
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