By LEONARD GRAY

HAHNVILLE – The John Borskey trial for aggravated rape, set to begin Monday with jury selection, met with a delay at the last minute with a closed-door hearing conducted by 29th Judicial District Judge Robert Chaisson.

At the same time the closed-door hearing was announced, Chaisson also imposed a gag order on court and law enforcement personnel from discussing the case with the media.

Borskey’s case was continued, following the hearing, and a status conference was scheduled July 3, and a new trial date was set for July 22.

Borskey, 36, of Destrehan, faces a possible death sentence if convicted, since he was charged with the aggravated rape of a 9-year-old girl. A 1996 Louisiana law mandates the death penalty if the rape is of a child under the age of 12.

Borskey has entered a not-guilty plea. He allegedly raped the daughter of his live-in girlfriend four times during spring 2000. Her mother notified police in April 2000, and the St. Charles Parish Grand Jury issued an indictment against him that same month, charging him with two counts of aggravated rape of a juvenile. He was found in Metairie and arrested Feb. 14, 2001 by Jefferson Parish authorities.

Booked into the system, his arrest was not made public until October 2001, when the judges asked the St. Charles Parish Council for an extra $26,750 in their budget to cover the trial’s anticipated expenses. Those anticipated expenses included meals and housing for the sequestered jury, with the case expected to take two weeks.

Borskey has since been held on a $750,000 bond and held at the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center to await trial.

Prosecuting the case will be assistant district attorney Howat Peters, and defense attorney is Mark Marino.