The judge overseeing the trial of Nashville police officer Andrew Delke says his defense team will not be able to mention the criminal record of the man he shot.
In an order released this afternoon, Judge Monte Watkins lays out many of the ground rules for Delke’s trial on a charge of first-degree murder. They include stipulations of how prosecutors can refer to Daniel Hambrick: They will be allowed to refer to him as “the victim.”
Watkins did not rule on whether video of the shooting will be allowed. Delke’s defense team has tried to suppress footage, arguing that it doesn’t capture the entire chase.
More: Prosecution And Defense Spar Over Evidence Ahead Of Nashville Police Officer’s Murder Trial
But he did rule that jurors will not hear about Hambrick’s arrests and convictions. A key question in the case is whether Delke had reason to think that Hambrick was committing a crime.
Meanwhile, Delke’s defense lawyers will be able to call Nashville’s former top prosecutor as an expert witness. He’s expected to testify that Delke was justified in pursuing Hambrick.
Prosecutors will also be allowed to call a Los Angeles police sergeant who testified on use-of-force in the trial of Derek Chauvin. The former Minneapolis police officer was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison Friday for the killing of George Floyd.
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