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Defense Cites Shutdown as Court Extends Timeline in Minnesota Lawmaker Killings Case

A judge granted the defense extra time to review an unusually large trove of evidence.

Overview

  • Prosecutors told the court their discovery review is substantially complete, while the defense is still downloading two hard drives totaling roughly 9 terabytes that include about 825 hours of video, 2,000 photos, and 130,000 pages of documents.
  • The defense said the federal government shutdown has slowed evidence downloads and asked for a delay of several months, a request prosecutors did not oppose.
  • With the case designated complex, trial scheduling remains months away as the next federal status hearing is set for February and a decision on pursuing the death penalty is still unresolved.
  • Federal counts include two murders that could carry capital punishment, and separate state charges include first-degree murder, attempted murder, felony animal cruelty, and impersonating a police officer.
  • Local officials approved a roughly $429,000 independent review by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to evaluate the law enforcement response, a process expected to take about six months.