Overview
- Court exhibits show Agent Charles Exum messaged colleagues, “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes,” and described himself as a firearms instructor who takes pride in his shooting skills.
- The multi-day evidentiary hearing, requested by the defense, is examining whether evidence was mishandled and could lead to sanctions or limits on what the jury hears at a February trial.
- The FBI photographed and released Exum’s government Chevy Tahoe the night of the Oct. 4 crash, after which he drove it to Maine where a CBP mechanic buffed scuff marks and performed repairs.
- Conflicting accounts emerged over who authorized the repairs, as the judge questioned why the agent’s SUV was released while the defendants’ vehicles remain impounded.
- No body-camera video of the lead-up exists, and Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz remain charged with assaulting a federal officer as prosecutors maintain the shooting was self-defense.