Court schedules motion to suppress for March 24, sets jury trial beginning March 25 after defense request

Judge Stephanie Boyd granted a defense request for additional time to review records relevant to a pretrial motion to suppress and set the suppression hearing and a potential jury trial date.

Defense counsel said new records were provided approximately 20 minutes before a scheduled pretrial hearing and asked for 30 days to analyze them. The defense sought to suppress evidence obtained from a search of the defendant’s apartment and the defendant’s statement. The defense also noted delay in availability of a forensic analyst and requested an amended trial schedule. “I would ask for 30 days,” defense counsel said on the record; the State responded and the court accommodated the request.

The court set the motion to suppress for Monday, March 24 at 2 p.m., and set jury selection to begin Tuesday, March 25, if the case proceeds to trial. The judge told the parties she expected no further continuances absent a major reason and explained she would consider any motion for continuance with the case’s history in mind. The court also indicated that if the motion to suppress were granted, that outcome could be dispositive of the case absent appeal.

The State asked that live officer witnesses appear in person at the suppression hearing and the defense confirmed it preferred having witnesses in person to allow exhibit presentation. The court instructed counsel to be prepared for an approximately one-hour hearing and to confer about witness appearances.

The court instructed clerks to docket the suppression hearing and the potential trial dates and indicated if the State files a continuance it intended to charge the continuance to the State unless there were exceptional circumstances due to the case’s age and prior discovery issues.