Legal teams preparing for trial in the 2023 murder of Police Detective Delberth Phipps Jr. have until Aug. 1 to file arguments over challenges posed by the defendant accused in connection with his death. Chief District Court Judge Robert Molloy issued the directive on Friday after hearing two days of pretrial testimony.
Since July 28, prosecutors and defense attorneys have sat for an omnibus hearing designed to address all motions filed in the case of USA vs Richardson Dangleben, Jr. Dangleben was arrested July 4, 2023, after an armed confrontation with Phipps in Hospital Ground. The hearing is scheduled to resume on Monday with testimony by potential expert witnesses, and continue through at least Tuesday.
One expert witness has already been excluded, based on proceedings in last week’s hearing. At that time, the defendant declared he would not appear or testify at his upcoming trial.
Jury selection is set to begin Oct. 6 in District Court.
The defendant is facing more than a dozen criminal charges, including first-degree murder, assault, and weapons possession. The U.S. Justice Department under the administration of President Donald Trump reversed an earlier ruling removing the death penalty as a possible outcome if Dangleben is found guilty at trial.
Lawyers from the Office of the Federal Public Defender are challenging that reversal, and have also filed motions to remove consideration of criminal charges stemming from the Feb. 24 shooting death of Keith Jennings.
Dangleben was also arrested and charged with homicide in connection with that incident. His lawyers are also asking the court for a change of venue, claiming that pretrial publicity will make it difficult to choose an impartial jury.
“The fact that on Feb. 24th Mr. Dangleben may have shot Mr. Jennings has no tendency to make it more or less probable that Mr. Dangleben murdered Detective Phipps,” said court documents filed by the defense.
Molloy gave prosecutors and defenders to submit written arguments over the two pending motions by 5 p.m. on Friday.
St. Croix Source
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