07-24-2015, 01:58 PM
The Motion to Suppress (evidence), filed by Maytee in May, was addressed in court today too. The court records show that opening statements, testimony, and closing statements were heard. The judge is taking the matter under advisement.
The other matter addressed in court today (per ButterflyGirl's post) is the defendants' desire to have their cases "severed". That means that the defendants don't want to be tried jointly as co-defendants, they instead want separate trials. The judge ordered that they must file Motions to Sever by the last day of this month for severance to be considered.
Motion to Sever:
When cases involve the indictment of more than one defendant, usually only one trial is held. This process is called Joinder. Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure permits the joinder of the indictments of two or more defendants if they are alleged to have participated in the same act or transaction. For policy reasons courts prefer using joinder to holding separate trials because it saves time and money. However, joinder can create potential prejudices against a defendant, resulting in greater likelihood of conviction, and thus a defense attorney will often ask the court to sever his client's case. Less often, the prosecution requests severance because it believes joinder will prejudice its case. Severance results in a defendant being tried separately on one or all of the pending charges.
If their Motions to Sever are granted, it will make it easier for the defendants to point the finger at each other if they're so inclined, IMO.
The other matter addressed in court today (per ButterflyGirl's post) is the defendants' desire to have their cases "severed". That means that the defendants don't want to be tried jointly as co-defendants, they instead want separate trials. The judge ordered that they must file Motions to Sever by the last day of this month for severance to be considered.
Motion to Sever:
When cases involve the indictment of more than one defendant, usually only one trial is held. This process is called Joinder. Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure permits the joinder of the indictments of two or more defendants if they are alleged to have participated in the same act or transaction. For policy reasons courts prefer using joinder to holding separate trials because it saves time and money. However, joinder can create potential prejudices against a defendant, resulting in greater likelihood of conviction, and thus a defense attorney will often ask the court to sever his client's case. Less often, the prosecution requests severance because it believes joinder will prejudice its case. Severance results in a defendant being tried separately on one or all of the pending charges.
If their Motions to Sever are granted, it will make it easier for the defendants to point the finger at each other if they're so inclined, IMO.