Will murder case get dismissed for Phoenix detective’s mistakes?
Dec 21, 2023, 4:00 PM
A judge is set to hold a multi-day evidentiary hearing to decide whether to dismiss a first-degree murder case involving a former Phoenix police detective at the center of a continuing scandal. (ABC15 Arizona Photo)
(ABC15 Arizona Photo)
PHOENIX — A judge is set to hold a multi-day evidentiary hearing to decide whether to dismiss a first-degree murder case involving a former Phoenix police detective at the center of a continuing scandal.
The hearing begins on Thursday in State v. Eddie Vaughn before Judge Bruce Cohen.
Additional dates will happen in January.
The hearing will explore Det. Jennifer DiPonzio’s repeated mistakes handling evidence and how Phoenix officials and county prosecutors worked to obscure and minimize information about her misconduct.
Cohen granted the hearing after Vaughn’s defense attorney, David Le Lievre, filed a pair of motions to dismiss alleging outrageous government misconduct.
“The State incessantly alleged that undersigned counsel was on a fishing expedition,” Le Lievre wrote. “They blocked interviews, misled the Defense, misled judicial officers, and withheld additional documentation.”
In court filings, Maricopa County prosecutors responded by calling the move to dismiss the case as factually and legally baseless.
Vaughn is accused of killing a woman in a drive-by shooting that happened in June 2020.
