MINNEAPOLIS — A Hennepin County judge is considering motions made by attorneys for a Minnesota State Trooper charged with murder in the death of motorist Ricky Cobb.
During a hearing Thursday defense attorney Chris Madel argued multiple motions in the case against his client Ryan Londregan involving a noted use-of-force expert whose opinions were left out of the criminal complaint filed by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. The defense wants to depose expert witness Jeff Noble under oath and asked for permission to subpoena materials from Noble instead of relying solely on prosecutors during the process of discovery.
KARE 11's Lou Raguse was in court for the hearing, and reports that Madel raised questions about a draft report Noble started working on before he was told by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office not to create one. The defense wants access to that and other documents Nobel created.
Londregan's defense team also noted that Nobel's opinion was just cited in a report by the Minnesota Attorney General's Office and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi detailing why charges will not be filed against a St. Paul police officer in a fatal shooting from February of 2023.
Madel told Judge Tamara Garcia that Nobel's opinion in the prominent Ramsey County case disputes the assertion by County Attorney Mary Moriarty's office that Nobel is unfamiliar with Minnesota's current use-of-force statute.
At one point during Thursday's proceedings, Judge Tamara Garcia told both sides to stop publicly filing affidavits and other documents such as transcripts and screenshots, and instead present them as exhibits during hearings. Her statement comes after the defense filed a sworn statement yesterday from a state patrol trainer who accused prosecutors of taking a portion of his interview out of context.
“Let’s try this case in court, not in the court of public opinion,” Judge Garcia said. She sealed the affidavit filed Wednesday from public view.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office sent out a statement early Thursday afternoon supporting the judge's position.
"We have said from the beginning this case should be tried in the courtroom and not through the media. We were grateful for the judge’s order today that will not allow filings that are intended to influence the public and the press. The judge made clear she wants a fair and orderly trial in the courtroom, and we are hopeful that will now be possible."
"We encourage elected officials and others not involved in the case to take the judge’s comments to heart and refrain from creating more confusion by commenting on the ongoing case. Their comments disregard the established legal process, politicize the case, threaten the possibility of a fair trial, and ignore that there is a grieving family that is watching this unfold in the press."
Londregan is scheduled to be back in court April 29.
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