BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A federal judge has ruled in favor of closing the courtroom when the lone surviving victim takes the stand during the sentencing of convicted killer Joseph Edward Duncan III.

U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge said Tuesday the interests in protecting a minor victim from further harm and embarrassment outweigh the public's right to know.

Shasta Groene is the only survivor of Duncan's 2005 attacks on her family.

Duncan has pleaded guilty in state court to the slayings of Groene's mother, older brother and the mother's fiance.

In December, the former Fargo man pleaded guilty to 10 federal charges in the kidnapping of Shasta, then 8, and her brother Dylan, and Dylan's murder.