Ruling awaited in Tantalus case
Circuit Judge Dexter Del Rosario is expected to rule as early as Feb. 2 on whether to suppress evidence seized from the home of accused multiple murderer Adam Mau-Goffredo.
Defense attorneys argued yesterday that the search warrant prepared by a police detective was unconstitutionally broad and sweeping. Prosecutors argued that the search warrant was specifically seeking evidence of planning and his mental state.
Mau-Goffredo was indicted on charges of shooting three people in the head on July 6 and then committing a home invasion robbery before making off with the residents' car. When he was arrested later that evening, police discovered notebooks in the stolen car indicating he might have planned the killings in advance. Based on a diagnosis of schizophrenia and evidence from the notebooks, a search warrant was prepared to search his home for evidence of his mental state and any alleged planning.
Defense attorneys object to what they claim was an "indiscriminate" seizure of items, which included computer hardware, audio and video materials, a firearms periodical, photos, books and handwritten notes.