Judge Changes Mind, Allows Media to View Defendant's Taped Statement
A Florida judge changed her mind and allowed members of the media and the public to view a videotaped statement of a suspect accused of killing a homeless man.
Fort Lauderdale Judge Cynthia Imperato initially told the media they would not be able to see the DVD, but reversed herself after a lawyer for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel filed an emergency petition, the Miami Herald reports.
Members of the media were able to watch the DVD on Wednesday and Thursday as long as they didn’t copy or duplicate any part of the statement.
The defendant’s attorney, Sam Halpern, didn’t oppose the motion, but is seeking to have the statements suppressed.
In the video, defendant Billy Ammons reportedly claims at first that he had no involvement in the fatal beating, but later said he was present.
