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By
Isabella Quink [former]
- April 26, 2023
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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A defense attorney expressed deep concerns regarding a protective order in an April 26 homicide hearing.
Alphonso Oliver, 34, is charged with second-degree murder while armed in connection to the murder of 16-year-old Levoire Simmons on the 700 block of Kenilworth Terrace, NE on July 5, 2022.
Defense Attorney Andrew Ain expressed deep concerns about the wording regarding an order protecting Grand Jury witness identifications.
The protective order would keep information, such as these identities, inaccessible for the defendant but accessible to the attorneys.
Ain stated in previous cases, broad wording of protective orders allowed the prosecution to include more evidence than reasonable to the confines under the order. He said he wants to move quickly in this case.
He would not agree to the order and stated that the courts seemed to move slower when the issue was what the defense could share with their client.
Oliver had been released from jail in March 2022 after serving a sentence for an assault with intent to kill conviction from 2011.
A witness in the gallery continuously interrupted the hearing with statements such as “no case” or “lack of evidence” and when leaving the courtroom post-hearing told the defendant, “I gotchu”.
The next status hearing is scheduled for May 23 as the parties continue to discuss plea negotiations.