Expert may not testify; Steele still could
A defense expert who says he found anomalies in FBI recordings of murder-for-hire suspect Edgar Steele will not be able to testify remotely from his tropical vacation, a judge ruled this morning.
Defense lawyers did not subpoena George Papcun, who is vacationing in Bora Bora with his wife and unable to testify in person.
They requested a two-day extension to give them time to get Papcun to Boise, but U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill declined.
"This is a problem that the defense is making, not the courts," Winmill said. He cited the phrase "procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine."
The jury was sent home until 8:30 a.m. tomorrow; Winmill said there's a chance Papcun could fly to Boise overnight and testify then.
The case could go to the jury Thursday morning, Winmill said. "Certainly we'll have it presented to you before the end of the week," Winmill told jurors.
Papcun could be the last defense witness; defense lawyer Robert McAllister said Edgar Steele has not yet decided if he will testify.
"If he does make that decision, I would like him to be the last witness in our case," McAllister said.