A CHANGE OF TONE IN THE BUNKERVILLE CASE WITH LATEST JUDGE NAVARRO RULINGS?

(UPDATED OCTOBER 11th WITH CLIVEN BUNDY ATTORNEY'S FILING)

The horrible event in Las Vegas has been followed by some new and interesting developments in the Bunkerville Standoff case.

While federal prosecutors were said to be taking a tougher line in plea deal negotiations with defendants in the case,  US District Judge Gloria Navarro ruled in ways favorable to the defense and defendants this past week.

Navarro agreed to a delay of up to 30 days in the third trial which will include those considered "leaders" of the Bunkerville Standoff near Bundy Ranch.   She will have a calendar call on October 24th to evaluate whether a trial can be held starting October 30th or pushed back further.

Earlier last week Navarro agreed to provide the defense lawyers the full inspector general's report on the now fired Bureau of Land Management agent Dan Love.   Love, who was the lead BLM official at Bunkerville, lost his job after the inspector general's investigation.

Defense lawyer Morgan Philpot, who represents Ammon Bundy in the upcoming trial, said the report will help defense lawyers to develop evidence helpful to their case.

But of course a big question remains as to whether Judge Navarro will change her stance from previous trials where the defense was severely limited as to what evidence they could present or arguments they could make.

However, Navarro was willing to intervene in the concerns of both Ammon and Ryan Bundy over their treatment at the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump.   The two men appear to have been deliberately targeted for frequent body cavity searches and  continuous solitary confinement for refusing them.

Navarro asked if any other defendants had similar concerns and defendant Ryan Payne joined their appeal to the judge.   Navarro heard from Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy and Ryan Payne personally during the hearing.

She decided to order the three men moved to the Henderson Detention Center and to be treated more humanely than they have been at Pahrump.

Meanwhile, Cliven Bundy's attorney Brett Whipple has filed motions including one to preserve the motions and evidence from Pete Santilli's defense lawyer.   That's because Santilli has reached a plea deal with federal government.

Whipple says the defendants lawyers has planned a coordinated defense and that Santilli's defense motions and evidence are vital to the defense of Cliven Bundy and the five others set to go on trial later this month.