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Judge: Order to Turn Over Evidence May Have Little Impact
Posted: Jul 17, 2012 4:40 PM
Updated: Jul 17, 2012 4:58 PM
PALMVIEW - A judge in the case of a suspected teenage smuggler said an order to turn over evidence might not accomplish much.
Judge Jesse Contreras said he'll order federal agencies, like Border Patrol and ICE, to hand over evidence to the teen's lawyer. It's evidence the defense asked for months ago, but federal agents didn't release anything.
Despite the new order, federal agents don't have to release the information, because their investigation into other smugglers takes priority.
Today's court hearing was another small step in a long legal battle. The 16-year-old suspect in the case is facing nine counts of murder.
He's accused of driving a van full of illegal immigrants. The van flipped and nine people died.
The teenager will be back in court September 5. The next big step is deciding if the teen will be tried as an adult.
