Minnesota lawmaker shootings suspect's defense sorting through 9TB of evidence
MN lawmaker shootings: Where does the case stand?
The defense attorneys for the man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers in June told a judge on Wednesday they are still in the process of downloading and examining nine terabytes worth of evidence.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The defense attorneys for the man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers in June told a judge on Wednesday they are still in the process of downloading and examining nine terabytes worth of evidence.
Boelter status hearing
What we know:
The man indicted for the fatal shootings of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, along with the shootings of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, appeared in court on Wednesday.
Before a judge, attorneys for the prosecution and defense shared updates as part of a status hearing. The prosecution told the judge it had "substantially" completed its discovery. While the defense for the suspect said they are still in the process of downloading two hard drives containing nine terabytes of case materials including 825 hours of video, 2,000 photos, and 130,000 pages of PDF documents to review – signaling it could take at least six months before a trial date could even be set.
In context:
In July, prosecutors successfully requested the judge designate the case as "complex" back in July, citing the extensive evidence. The designation delayed speedy trial requirements, giving prosecutors extra time to review materials for the case.
The suspect faces a six-count indictment, including charges of murder, stalking, and firearms offenses.
The backstory:
The suspect is accused of going on a shooting spree in the early morning hours of June 14, targeting DFL lawmakers on his hit list.
Posing as a police officer and wearing an unsettling silicone face mask, the man went to the homes of at least four Minnesota lawmakers.
In Champlin, Sen. John Hoffman was shot nine times and his wife Yvette was shot eight times. In Brooklyn Park, the gunman is accused of gunning down Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
It was in Brooklyn Park that the rampage would come to an end as the gunman was confronted by police. He would be arrested after a manhunt near his home in Green Isle.
Third-party review
Local perspective:
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said it and several local police departments had commissioned a third-party review of the police response to the lawmaker shootings on June 14.
The review, which will be conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, will take about six months and will cost $429,000, with the state and Hennepin County paying the lion's share of the cost.