By Imani Davenport
LOS ANGELES, CA – An accused and incarcerated man—jailed without bail for nearly five years and defending himself—was denied what he claims could be exculpatory evidence in his case in a pretrial hearing Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court’s Clara Shortridge Foltz Courthouse.
Prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Philip Sterling and Michelle Weiske, the accused referenced item #6 on both the prosecution and accused list of motions, asking for all parts of surveillance given to or taken by an Ontario Police Department detective.
In conjunction with this motion, the accused also requested all records from another detective in the Ontario Police Department.
In response to this, DDA Sterling differentiated what is deemed as “useful” information, noting the evidence for which the accused is asking could be found as either relevant or irrelevant to the case.
The DDA added that if the prosecution finds that the information is irrelevant, “we’re not going to give it to him.”
Moreover, the prosecution said that “anything that is found by the detective” determined important by the prosecution “will be given” to the accused.
Following this statement, the accused asked for documents concerning the deportation of another name. Attorney Sterling asked, “Is it relevant?”
Judge Clay Jackie did not contend with the prosecution’s intention to decline permission to view the potentially exculpatory evidence the accused asked to retrieve.
The accused proposed the court take into consideration the detectives’ reports regarding his case from 2023 to the present day. In response to this inquiry, Sterling contended “this is a waste of our time,” although the accused suggested there could be potentially additional exonerative evidence in those records.
Another potentially exculpatory piece of evidence—video surveillance—was then determined circumstantially irrelevant by the prosecution, with DDA Sterling charging the accused “shouldn’t be readdressing things we’ve already addressed.”
The accused stated, “I feel like I’m always losing” with respect to time being shortened during his portions of motions and the general proceedings of the trial.
The accused is on trial for a murder that took place in 2015, and has been in custody since 2019. Bail has not been set. The next court date regarding these matters is scheduled for this next week.
