A trial date of April 20 was set Thursday morning for College junior Cyrus Shepherd-Oppenheim, 22.
On Jan. 12, Shepherd-Oppenheim, son of actress Cybill Shepherd, allegedly stole items such as money, a digital camera, paperwork and “travel folders” while passengers slept on an overnight flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia. The items were later found in the plane’s restroom, and Shepherd-Oppenheim was arrested upon landing.
William J. Brennan, Shepherd-Oppenheim’s attorney, declined to state the evidence brought forward by the Commonwealth, but said “upon initial review,” the case’s discovery period “appears to be not as serious as it originally seemed.”
Brennan emphasized Shepherd-Oppenheim is innocent until proven guilty and added that he “has no record, is a good kid and a straight-A student.” According to Brennan, similar cases often end with a pretrial diversion — a process in which judges do not rule on the cases of first-time offenders in exchange for a probation-like period. Compliance with the judge’s terms and conditions may result in the removal of the defendant’s criminal record.
“You’ve got a nice young man who is … charged with relatively minor things, so we’re hopeful for a positive outcome,” Brennan said.
Shepherd-Oppenheim faces charges of theft and related offenses, according to court documents.
Assistant District Attorney Richard Romano, the prosecution in Shepherd-Oppenheim’s case, declined to comment.
