Attorneys for Adam Coy, a former Columbus police officer, are requesting a new trial on the grounds of prosecutorial misconduct because they believe that important evidence was suppressed during Coy’s trial for Andre Hill’s murder. Attorneys Mark Collins and Kaitlyn Stephens have filed a motion accusing Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Renee Hamlin and Deputy Chief Counsel Anthony Pierson of failing to disclose evidence in connection with Coy’s conviction on November 5th, which carries a sentence of 15 years to life in prison, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The material that has been withheld concerns Jamie Borden, an expert witness and retired Nevada police officer who was allegedly contacted by Pierson but later fired before filing a formal report. In contrast to Seth Stoughton, the prosecution’s expert witness during Coy’s trial, Borden believed that Hill’s shooting was appropriate in the given situation. Stoughton had testified against Borden’s concealed opinion, according to a statement ABC6 was able to get. Coy’s lawyers contend that the suppression of this material compromises the integrity of the legal system and could have benefited their client.
When contacted by The Columbus Dispatch, Prosecutor Pierson declined to comment further, saying, “We will be responding to their motion,” in response to the accusations. The Brady rule, which was established by the Supreme Court in the 1963 case of Brady v. Maryland, requires prosecutors to provide the defense with any relevant, exonerating evidence. The contact with Borden was revealed by an inquiry that Coy’s lawyers conducted after the verdict.
The Legal Information Institute at Cornell University’s Law School, cited in the NBC4i story, states that an overturned conviction on appeal is the most likely legal conclusion if a Brady violation is proven. The shooting has sparked continuous discussions on police use of force. Hill was an unarmed Black man who was shot by Coy when the latter responded to a disturbance report. Judge Stephen McIntosh is considering the motion submitted by Coy’s defense team, and sentencing, which is scheduled for November 25, is in jeopardy.
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