LOS ANGELES Bodybuilder charged with solicitation of murder in Kobe case

In Denver, the media argued that Bryant's preliminary hearing should be open to the public.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Prosecutors charged a Swiss bodybuilder Monday with solicitation of murder for allegedly offering to kill the woman who accused the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant of rape.
Patrick Graber, 31, also was charged with solicitation to dissuade a witness, the district attorney's office said. Prosecutors recommended bail be set at $1 million.
In an appearance in Superior Court, Graber agreed to a one-week delay of his arraignment. No plea was entered and he remained in custody.
If convicted of the two felonies, he faces up to nine years and eight months in prison, the district attorney's office said.
Needs time
Defense attorney Peter Knecht said he needed time to see evidence and prepare a bail motion -- as well as a response to the prosecution's request for a hearing to determine the source of bail.
"In this particular case you want to be certain that bail comes from an appropriate source," Deputy District Attorney Ralph Shapiro said.
Graber's wife, Gilliane, was present in court. Knecht said she is a U.S. citizen.
Outside court, Knecht described Graber as "a little bit naive and not very swift. ... He is not the most intelligent guy in the world."
In Denver, meanwhile, attorneys for the media argued that Bryant's Oct. 9 preliminary hearing should remain open to the public. Defense lawyers say publicity would threaten the athlete's right to a fair trial.
Bryant, 25, was charged with sexual assault after a 19-year-old woman accused him of rape during his June stay at the Colorado mountain resort where she worked. Bryant has said the two had consensual sex.
The preliminary hearing will determine whether Bryant should stand trial. He remains free on $25,000 bond.
The murder plot
In the alleged murder-for-hire case, Graber was arrested Thursday in suburban El Segundo by undercover sheriff's investigators who set up a sting at a supermarket parking lot.
Detectives said Graber wanted $3 million to carry out the plan and had arranged to pick up a $1 million payment. Investigators had filled a bag with prop money used in making movies.
The investigation began Sept. 8 when Bryant's security staff reported receiving a letter offering to solve the basketball player's problem. The letter was signed "Yuri." Investigators said Graber claimed to have ties to Russian organized crime.
Knecht said Graber came to the United States two years ago hoping to become an actor, but was working as a trainer in a gym and recently was certified as a helicopter pilot. His visa expired two weeks ago and immigration lawyers are working on that, Knecht said.
"This just blew him away," Knecht said.
He said Graber has one prior conviction, for fraud, in Switzerland.
In Bryant's criminal case, lawyers for organizations including The Associated Press, CNN, The Denver Post, NBC and The New York Times are arguing to keep next month's hearing open.
Fair trial threat?
A 1979 Colorado Supreme Court ruling allows judges to close preliminary hearings only if the defendant's right to a fair trial is threatened, and only if that threat cannot be reasonably avoided, attorney Chris Beall wrote in a filing released Monday.
"Defendant has not met, and cannot meet, his burden to warrant such a drastic and unprecedented action by this court," Beall wrote.
Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett did not immediately issue a decision. Bryant's defense team did not return a call for comment.
The prosecution has said it will disclose some of its evidence at the Oct. 9 hearing, including testimony from a detective, photographs of the accuser's injuries, a videotaped statement she made to investigators, and an "electronically enhanced" version of an interview Bryant gave to authorities after the alleged attack.
Gannett also is considering whether Bryant's accuser will testify at the hearing.