Judge Jon Erickson has denied the use of audio in the upcoming trial of Werner Fajardo. Beadle County States Attorney Mike Moore only said that Erickson denied a request by Performance Radio and KELO-TV to open the trial up to expanded electronic media coverage. At a motions hearing last week, Erickson denied video coverage after Fajardo’s attorney, Carmen Means told the judge she opposed video. She also said she was against audio coverage too, but told Erickson she didn’t know if her opinion had any weight in that decision. Erickson was the first judge in South Dakota history to approve of audio AND Video in the historic airing of closing arguments last year in the Edwin Thompson murder trial in Huron. Erickson also approved both audio and video in the sentencing of James Harris in April in De Smet. No reason was given for the denial. Fajardo’s trial on rape, sex crimes and alcohol violations with minors is set to begin next week.