OREGON STANDOFF: LAWYERS FOR FBI AGENT ACCUSED OF LYING ABOUT SHOOTING AT LAVOY FINICUM SEEK DELAY
The defense lawyers for FBI Agent W. Joseph Astarita, accused of lying about shooting at LaVoy Finicum at a roadblock on January 26, 2016, tried to get a federal judge to delay a series of hearings set to begin a week from Monday (May 21st).
They said they needed time to get a statistician to detail out math errors in the prosecution's case regarding the trajectory of a bullet.
But US District Judge Robert E. Jones said the hearing date of May 21st remains firm but that the defense can file additional reports on its contention,
A federal prosecutor said the defense lawyers can contest the math at the trial.
The trial is set to begin with jury selection on July 24th.
Defense lawyers have been working to tear down the prosecution case developed by an Oregon law enforcement shooting team with various experts prepared to testify and a 3-D animation also planned for use at trial.
Judge Jones intends to use the 4-days of hearings planned later this month (May 21st-24th) to sort out which experts and exhibits the prosecution will be allowed to use at the agent's trial.
Why have the FBI agent's defense lawyers sought a delay in pretrial hearings?
Perhaps the recent revelations of grand jury testimony by mainstream media in Oregon, where the jury pool is located for Astarita's federal trial on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.
One part of the transcripts released to the media include the testimony of an Oregon detective, who spoke with Agent Astarita just hours after LaVoy Finicum was killed,
An Oregon State Police detective, Scott Hill, was told by the accused agent that LaVoy Finicum almost hit one of his fellow FBI agents and intended to run him over and called Finicum uncooperative and verbally combative.
Those comments would seem to point to Astarita being very motivated to open fire on LaVoy Finicum, something he is denying with his 'not guilty' pleas to the five charges of lying about shooting.
The Oregon shooting team investigators discovered that two shell casings were unaccounted for.
W. Joseph Astarita is only charged with lying about the shooting, not charged with killing LaVoy Finicum, attempting to kill LaVoy Finicum, attempting to kill the other three people in LaVoy's truck or injuring Ryan Bundy, one of the passengers in the truck.
Bundy has shrapnel inside him that federal prosecutors believe is related to Astarita's gun being used.
Ryan Bundy says he is willing to have surgery to remove the shrapnel but federal prosecutors claim Bundy is making 'outrageous demands'.
Links below..........
Why have the FBI agent's defense lawyers sought a delay in pretrial hearings?
Perhaps the recent revelations of grand jury testimony by mainstream media in Oregon, where the jury pool is located for Astarita's federal trial on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.
One part of the transcripts released to the media include the testimony of an Oregon detective, who spoke with Agent Astarita just hours after LaVoy Finicum was killed,
An Oregon State Police detective, Scott Hill, was told by the accused agent that LaVoy Finicum almost hit one of his fellow FBI agents and intended to run him over and called Finicum uncooperative and verbally combative.
Those comments would seem to point to Astarita being very motivated to open fire on LaVoy Finicum, something he is denying with his 'not guilty' pleas to the five charges of lying about shooting.
The Oregon shooting team investigators discovered that two shell casings were unaccounted for.
W. Joseph Astarita is only charged with lying about the shooting, not charged with killing LaVoy Finicum, attempting to kill LaVoy Finicum, attempting to kill the other three people in LaVoy's truck or injuring Ryan Bundy, one of the passengers in the truck.
Bundy has shrapnel inside him that federal prosecutors believe is related to Astarita's gun being used.
Ryan Bundy says he is willing to have surgery to remove the shrapnel but federal prosecutors claim Bundy is making 'outrageous demands'.
Links below..........
OregonLive story 5/11/2018
OregonLive story Grand Jury transcripts 4/20/2018
(EDITED AND EXPANDED SATURDAY PM)
OregonLive story Grand Jury transcripts 4/20/2018
(EDITED AND EXPANDED SATURDAY PM)
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