The lawyer representing accused gunman Richardson Dangleben Jr. is asking the court for more time to submit expert disclosures ahead of trial. Expert disclosures were supposed to be turned in by Aug. 5.
Dangleben is accused of fatally shooting Police Detective Delberth Phipps Jr. in Hospital Ground on July 4, 2023. A request to extend the deadline for expert disclosures was filed Monday by Federal Public Defender Matthew Campbell. Campbell told the court that five expert witnesses have been retained to help with pre-trial preparations.
Three of the five have completed their disclosures; two have requested additional reports or evidence before completing their tasks, Campbell said. “Completion of that consultation is necessary in order to formulate an effective defense to the serious charges Mr. Dangleben faces,” his lawyer said.
Areas where the defense deems expert review necessary include DNA evidence, firearms evidence, and chain of custody evidence; photographic evidence is also being given extra scrutiny, as is the evidence produced by the medical examiner.
Campbell is asking for a 90-day extension. Meanwhile, Superior Court Judge Denise Francois has set Aug. 20 as the final pre-trial conference in a second 2023 murder case where Dangelben is also the defendant.
Phipps’ accused killer is also charged with the fatal shooting of 68-year-old Keith Alfonso on Feb. 24, 2023. The Aug. 20 hearing before Francois was rescheduled from June 13.
There has been no indication about which of the murder trials will be first to proceed. If convicted of either or both offenses, the defendant faces life imprisonment.
