The clock is ticking for prosecutors in the so-called 'Cop City' case as a Fulton County Superior Court judge has set a hard deadline for evidence disclosure. In a Tuesday hearing, Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams ordered the prosecution to hand over all remaining evidence to defense attorneys by May 17th, WABE reports. The directive looks to prevent further delays in a controversial case that's already seen its share of obstacles and pushback.
With trial expected to start before year's end, the state's whopping collection of data, approximately six terabytes including an additional terabyte of evidence from seized cellphones, must be sifted through by the defense. Despite the massive digital trove yet to be examined, Adams showed little patience for the prolonged process, stressing the urgency of the situation especially considering the defense's ongoing gripes about evidence access.
As it stands, this high-stakes legal battle pits the state against 61 individuals associated with the organized opposition of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. Lead prosecutor John Fowler was put on notice by the judge after defense lawyers claimed they'd been kept in the dark, unable to lay eyes on evidence crucial to their clients' defense, including clothes allegedly worn during a protest-related arrest.
Further complicating matters, the judge warned that Fowler's team can't dawdle when it comes to arranging site visits for both the defense and potentially jurors, following revelations of denied access by the city. "I’m telling you that the city of Atlanta doesn’t get to say no, so whoever I need to tell that, I’m prepared to tell them," Adams asserted, as per an WABE report. The site, at the heart of the indictment according to the judge, is a keystone not only for the prosecution but also for the full realization of the defense's argument.
In yet another twist, some defense attorneys have recently stumbled upon claims of Atlanta police officers using the encrypted app Signal for communications surrounding the opposition of the training center, raising questions about law enforcement transparency and complicating the discovery process. Fowler has confirmed that federal agencies are utilizing the app and is seeking related messages from the U.S. Attorney General's Office.
The multifaceted case, which involves a slew of charges from domestic terrorism to arson and money laundering, has already set in motion a tide of legal filings with defense teams submitting no fewer than 142 motions. To streamline what promises to be a labyrinthine legal procedure, Adams has categorized the defendants into groups for trial and established a dedicated "Cop City" email for court correspondence. All this while the sole separate trial of defendant Ayla King awaits an appellate ruling.
