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After a day and a half of deliberation, the jury returns with a decision. Pre-Sentencing Report (PSR) will be April 30 followed by sentencing on June 18, 2026 at 9:00 am.
After nearly three weeks of trial, both sides delivered closing arguments to the jury in the Prairieland case. The prosecution urged the jury to find all eight defendants charged with conspiracy guilty under a conspiracy and Pinkerton liability theory. Meanwhile…
Both sides rested and closed their cases after a day dominated by the prosecution’s effort to connect the defendants to Antifa ideology through social media, phone extractions, and chat messages. Judge Pittman questioned the relevance of the Antifa evidence.
Six witnesses testified: cooperating witness Nathan Baumann (cross-examination on plea deal circumstances); forensic witnesses on firearms, fingerprints, and DNA; ATF explosives specialist Steven Brenneman (consumer fireworks as explosives under 18 U.S.C. 844); and David Kyle Shideler, the prosecution’s designated Antifa…
The prosecution’s second cooperating witness, Susan Kent, broke down on the stand under defense cross-examination that exposed coercive plea conditions and the government’s role in labeling defendants as an “Antifa cell” — a term Kent did not use on her…
Lynette Sharp’s cross-examination became the strongest moment yet for the defense, as she testified the defendants are a group of LGBTQ friends bound by shared identity rather than an “Antifa organization,” that no one intended to harm police, and that…
The prosecution’s physical evidence case continued to crumble as a 57-minute SWAT search of Savanna Batten’s apartment yielded nothing but a map, a fireworks cooler was left unsecured at the crime scene for 12 hours, and an FBI counterterrorism agent…
Judge Pittman denied the defense’s self-defense motion, ruling that no reasonable person would believe unlawful force was being used at Prairieland before Song fired. The day was dominated by a parade of FBI agents testifying about searches of defendants’ homes…
Day 6 featured damaging cross-examination of the prosecution’s case, including testimony about procedural failures in evidence handling, a key witness acknowledging it would be reasonable to shoot back if pointed at with a gun, and exposure of the FBI translator’s…
Court proceedings focused on the police response to the officer shooting incident at Prairieland Detention Center, including testimony from numerous responding officers (Zapata, Solis, Mellow, Bell, Graham, and others) and a crime scene investigator detailing the detention of five individuals,…
Prosecution witnesses undermined key allegations as detention officer Reedy admitted seeing no threats or shots fired, FBI lead investigator Whithorn conceded multiple initial false theories (break-in, multiple shooters) and confirmed no trespassing signs existed, and cell phone analysis showed defendants…
Day 3 featured arraignment with all nine defendants pleading not guilty, prosecution and defense opening statements introducing competing narratives about whether July 4 was a planned violent attack or a normal noise demonstration, and direct testimony from Lt. Gross and…
Day 2 featured completion of jury selection with the seating of 12 jurors and 2 alternates; Judge Pittman conducted extensive questioning covering media bias, law enforcement ties, ICE views, and protest participation, striking 23 jurors for cause before attorneys exercised…
Trial Day 1 ended in mistrial after Judge Pittman, against the backdrop of a strong media presence, community support for the defense outside the courthouse, and a jury pool suspicious of ICE, discovered defense attorney MarQuetta Clayton wore a civil…
Pre-trial motion hearing challenging a warrantless vehicle search and arrest for a wide right turn; Judge Pittman expressed serious skepticism over suspicious body camera gaps, speculative bomb claims, and weak justification for the traffic stop, taking the suppression motion under…
Pre-trial motion hearings where all three defense motions (Franks motion for Sanchez Estrada, suppression for Hill, and search warrant suppression for Soto) were denied, though the judge acknowledged some merit in the arguments, particularly regarding Hill’s motion and the strength…