A Washington judge defended his decision to keep the public and media from hearing proceedings related to the 2001 Chandra Levy murder case and said information about them would be available soon.

Media organizations, including The Associated Press, objected to being shut out. They asked for information from the recent hearings plus access to future ones.

In court Wednesday, Judge Gerald Fisher said he reluctantly sealed prior proceedings after concluding it was necessary. He had previously cited "safety issues." Fisher gave no date when the information would be public.

A Salvadoran man, Ingmar Guandique, was convicted in 2010 of killing Levy.

The hearing access is the latest twist in the high-profile killing that went unsolved for years and captivated the public because of Levy's romantic relationship with a California congressman.