Attorneys representing officer Jeronimo Yanez in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile want jurors to view Castile's car in person while Yanez recreates the traffic stop and testifies to his reaction that day.
The requests were among several motions filed Wednesday by the defense that address a range of issues from jury selection to Castile's alleged marijuana use to other evidence that could come into play during Yanez's May 30 trial.
The defense asked Ramsey County District Court Judge William H. Leary III to permit "members of the jury to see Mr. Castile's car in person, particularly the position of his seat, the driver's side window and the brake lights …" and " … at the same time, to see Officer Yanez demonstrate where he was, and to hear him testify about why he saw Castile's gun in his right hand, in the context of the car's physical presence."
A pretrial hearing, where the motions are likely to be heard, is scheduled for May 16.
"We will address the defense's motions in limine next week in court during the pretrial hearing," said Dennis Gerhardstein, a spokesman for the Ramsey County attorney's office.
Yanez, 29, a St. Anthony police officer, was charged Nov. 16 with second-degree manslaughter and two felony counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm for killing Castile, 32, during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights on July 6. Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her then-4-year-old daughter were also in the car and Reynolds livestreamed the aftermath on Facebook.
The Ramsey County attorney's office believes Castile was reaching for his wallet to retrieve his driver's license when Yanez fired at him seven times.
The defense has argued that Yanez stopped Castile's car on Larpenteur Avenue because of a nonworking brake light and because he matched the description of a suspect who robbed a Lauderdale gas station at gunpoint. (Authorities have said Castile was not involved in the robbery.)