Josh Duggar Trial Update: Prosecution Responds To One-Year Delay
There has been an update in the Josh Duggar trial as the prosecution responds to his defense’s request for a one-year delay. As we previously reported, the TLC personality’s lawyers put in a request to delay his trial from next month to February of 2022. Unsurprisingly, fans of Counting On had pretty negative reactions to this news as they don’t think the trial should be pushed off for a year while he lives in a cushy mansion with friends of the family.
Prosecution responds to request for a one-year delay
According to an update on the trial from People Magazine, the prosecution and Josh Duggar’s defense team are currently going head to head. It was just last week that his defense team filed a motion to delay the trial. The motion requested the trial scheduled on July 6, 2021, get delayed to February of 2022.
Within the motion, his lead attorney Justin Gelfand, explains they hired a computer forensics expert. They want the expert to review the evidence. And, more time is necessary for this to happen.
The defense has retained an independent computer forensic expert who must conduct a computer forensic examination of each of the devices at issue – a time-consuming process that requires review at a government facility for the one device the Government alleges contained child pornography.”
Josh Duggar trial update: Prosecution shuts down lengthy delay request
The prosecution is willing to work with Josh Duggar’s team to give the expert time to examine the evidence. But, they want a more “reasonable continuance.” The prosecution countered noting that three months should be plenty of time for the expert to examine the evidence. Furthermore, they noted postponing the trial for an entire year was an “unnecessary delay.”
Justin Gelfand also cited scheduling conflicts were a reason for the delay request.
Duggar’s lead counsel, Justin Gelfand, has federal criminal trials scheduled to begin in July 2021, September 2021, October 2021, and November 2021 – all of which were scheduled in rapid succession as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inability to hold federal jury trials at earlier dates.”
According to People Magazine’s Josh Duggar trial update, the prosecution also poked holes in this reason noting three months would be more than enough time to sidestep the lead counsel’s schedule conflicts.
The prosecution concluded their response to the motion noting: “there exists no legally or factually valid reason supporting a continuance until February of 2022.”
Presently, it doesn’t sound like the prosecution is willing to give Josh Duggar’s team the year they are asking for.
What do you think of this latest update on Josh Duggar’s trial? Do you agree with the prosecution? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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The news media reports that I have read seem to indicate that the police investigation began in 2019 with the seizure of Mr. Duggar’s computer devices. Charges were finally laid this year (2021) some two years after the investigation began.
My understanding of the law says that Mr. Duggar is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Nothing as of yet has been proven in a court of law.
Given that the investigation took two years, it would seem only reasonable that Mr. Duggar’s legal team be allowed as much time as is necessary to complete their own forensic examination of the devices in question. Failure to allow the defense team the time needed to completely review the evidence, plus attorney Gelfand’s commitments for the remainder of this year, could mean that a guilty verdict could be overturned on appeal.
Having said all of this, if Mr. Duggar is indeed guilty of the very serious charges against him, then there will have to be jail time.