Overview
- Prosecutors filed a motion Thursday to drop the indictment of Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ruiz, with a judge set to consider the request at a scheduled status hearing.
- The motion offered no explanation for the decision, which came hours before new evidence was expected to be discussed in court.
- Martinez and Ruiz had pleaded not guilty to charges alleging they used vehicles to assault and impede agents during an Oct. 4 encounter in Brighton Park.
- Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum fired about five shots that left Martinez with seven wounds, and texts presented in court showed him boasting, including, “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes.”
- Defense attorneys challenged the government’s account with body-camera claims and chain-of-custody concerns after Exum was allowed to drive the involved Chevy Tahoe to Maine, a controversy that has fed broader doubts about Operation Midway Blitz as other related cases have been dropped.