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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 were primarily at home/work locations.
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 Sgt. Hart regarding the shooting incident.
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 peremptory strikes.
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 rights-themed t-shirt under her jacket during voir dire, which he ruled could prejudice the jury pool beyond remedy.
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 advisement.
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 of evidence against Soto.