OKLAHOMA CITY – One month after being convicted of sex crimes, a former Oklahoma City police officer learned he would not get a new trial.
In December, a jury convicted former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw of 18 counts.
At his trial, 13 alleged victims testified against Holtzclaw, claiming he took advantage of them while he was on duty.
The jury recommended he be sentenced to 263 years in prison for his crimes.
One day before a judge would officially sentence him, Holtzclaw’s attorney filed a motion for a new trial.
In the court documents obtained by KFOR, Holtzclaw’s attorney claims his client was denied a fair trial “because the government made deliberate discovery violations and misrepresentations, undermining confidence in the verdict.”
Holtzclaw’s attorney, Scott Adams, said newly discovered evidence was not disclosed to the defense.
Click here to read the court filing.
The court documents claim a Facebook post by a police detective referenced evidence that was “withheld from the defense by the government.”
The post alleges that there was DNA evidence from several of the victims found in Holtzclaw’s car and on his pants.
“The State’s witnesses testified under oath that there was only one individual’s DNA found anywhere during forensic examination of any material – car, pants, or otherwise, and that belonged to victim [A.G.] – found on Mr. Holtzclaw’s pants,” the document claims.
It also alleges that it is possible that not all individuals who made allegations against Holtzclaw were disclosed to the defense.
“If there is additional DNA evidence, despite the government’s representations to the contrary, and if there are additional people who came forward and falsely claimed that they were victims – yet, for whatever reason their stories were withheld from the defense, despite representations under oath that their stories did not exist – then deliberate misrepresentations were made not only to defense counsel but the Court, calling into question the credibility of the government’s entire case,” the document claims. “Such reckless discovery violations and misrepresentations to the court undermine confidence in the fairness of Mr. Holtzclaw’s trial.”
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the victims said he became aware of the court filing when the media did – less than 24 hours ahead of the expected sentencing.
“Right now, we’re concentrating on supporting the victims, getting them through tomorrow, and we’ll address that when we get more information about it,” Crump told NewsChannel 4. “We anticipate them to make every argument, because lawyers make arguments for their clients.”
Crump attended a forum Wednesday night at Langston University’s Oklahoma City campus.
More than a hundred people showed up, including the city’s police chief, to discuss the Holtzclaw verdict and sexual assault in the African-American community.
The people who celebrated the jury’s verdict are hoping the judge turns it down.
“It’s amazing, in this day and time, you get that many convictions that they would attempt, that they would even consider with that amount evidence and with a jury of your peers recommending 200-plus years, and you ask for a new trial,” said Garland Pruitt of Oklahoma City’s NAACP chapter. “That’s just a waste of taxpayer dollars and skirting justice.”
On Thursday afternoon, a judge delayed sentencing Holtzclaw to take a look at the petition and his request for a new trial.
Around 2 p.m., the judge announced that Holtzclaw’s request for a new trial was denied.
