Opinion ID: 889300
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: First Trial Setting (Jan. 9, 2006) to Sixth Trial Setting (Oct. 30, 2006): 294 Days

Text: ¶ 90 On December 8, 2005, Anciaux advised the court that he now had the complete file from Dupuis but that the January 9 trial date was unfeasible because he and Putikka needed time to review the file and prepare for trial, and because the State's motion for clarification of the suppression ruling needed to be resolved before trial. The court thus reset the trial for February 27, a postponement of 49 days. In its speedy trial analysis, the District Court attributed 10 of those days to institutional delay and 39 of the days to Couture. We agree with Couture, however, that having to continue the trial date from January 9 to February 27 was the direct consequence of having to replace Dupuis and her delay in turning over her file on Couture. As such, given the unique, fact-specific circumstances of Dupuis' removal (noted above), we will not weigh the 49 days against the State or Couture in the Factor Two analysis. ¶ 91 Regarding the subsequent continuances from February 27 to April 24 to June 12 to August 7 (161 days), all of those were at the behest of the defense. As for the reasons for those continuances, Putikka explained that he had another murder trial in March and would be at training in June. As already noted, however, the fact that defense counsel has a hectic schedule does not in itself constitute good cause for delaying a trial. See ¶ 76, supra. Anciaux and Putikka also explained that more time was needed to conduct further investigations, interview additional witnesses, research additional motions, and otherwise prepare the defense. Yet, for the most part, none of these assertions was backed up with a concrete showing of why the additional time was needed, which was especially important here given that Nistler and Dupuis had already incurred significant delay for the same purposes (investigations, interviews, etc.) and since the court had appointed two attorneys to take Dupuis' place for the express purpose of moving the case quickly to trial. Thus, the 161 days weigh against Couture. ¶ 92 Couture contends, however, that these continuances can be traced to the State's motion for clarification and, even further back, to the State's loss of the May 17, 2004 search warrant and application. Yet, he was given reasonable time to investigate, research, and address the motion for clarification and the suppression issue. As just noted, no concrete showings of good cause were made for spending an additional five months on the matter. ¶ 93 Lastly, the delay from the August 7 trial date to the October 30 trial date (84 days) was due to the court's second suppression ruling, which clarified that any evidence which was discovered from an independent source or would have been inevitably discovered would not be suppressed. According to Anciaux, this ruling changed the focus of the defense and time was needed to prepare for what we believe the true defense in this is now. Likewise, the prosecutor wanted more time to evaluate the ruling, and to this end he filed another motion for clarification. These 84 days, therefore, are attributable to both the State and the defense as legitimate delay necessary to modify their cases in light of the court's new ruling on the suppression issue.