Other members of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team involved in the stop of refuge occupation spokesman Robert "LaVoy'' Finicum testified before a federal grand jury that returned an indictment against their colleague, Agent W. Joseph Astarita. Prosecutors have asked the court for permission to share transcripts of the agents' testimony with a nationally recognized ballistics and trajectory expert who they may call as a witness at trial. Astarita is accused of firing two shots at Finicum or his truck and then lying about it. The shots didn't hurt Finicum. State police fatally shot Finicum a short time later. Finicum appeared to be reaching for a gun at the time, investigator said. He had a loaded gun in his inside jacket pocket, they said. The government's case against Astarita rests on videos taken by an FBI airplane flying overhead and cellphone video from Shawna Cox, a passenger in Finicum's truck, as well as ballistics and trajectory evidence developed by the state police crime lab and the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, the prosecutors said in a recent court filing. "The central issue in this case is whether defendant fired two rounds at Finicum or Finicum's truck then lied about doing so to both the FBI and to Oregon State Police detectives who were investigating Finicum's death,'' Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Sussman wrote in a motion seeking the grand jury transcript disclosure. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Robert A. Jones granted the request. Prosecutors noted that their expert, who wasn't named in court papers, has agreed to abide by the court's protective order prohibiting sharing of the information...more
And then there was this disclosure:
Last month, one of Astarita's lawyers told a judge that no one reported that they saw or heard Astarita fire and no direct evidence existed linking any bullet or shell casing to Astarita's rifle. Prosecutors countered that the investigation was continuing and revealed for the first time that not only are shell casings from Astarita's alleged shots missing, but so are shell casings from some of the Oregon State Police shots fired at the Jan. 26, 2016, roadblock.
A law enforcement officer is being charged, and evidence in possession of law enforcement suddenly disappears. How convenient.
2 comments:
They all back each other's lies with even more lies.
Then, after they prove beyond a doubt that they all lied, would it lead to a conviction of a cover up of murder?
Or, is the investigation of the lying FIB agents just for show, find them guilty of lesser charges...to "prove" that feds are not biased when investigating themselves...and then clearing themselves of any wrong doing with Lavoy's murder.
Like with the predictable outcome of Comey's investigation of Hillary.
Future applicants for the Lon Horiuchi club. Wish they would break down in front of my place and walk in to ask for help........soapweed
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