The accused, charged with second-degree murder, brought a pre-trial motion to admit the videotaped police statement of a witness who died shortly after the incident.
The witness did not see the stabbing but spoke to both the deceased and the accused on the day of the incident.
The court found the statement lacked threshold reliability due to the witness's severe liver disease, cognitive decline, and apparent bias.
The motion was largely dismissed, with the statement ruled inadmissible hearsay, save for a brief observation regarding the deceased's demeanor prior to the incident.
