Las Vegas police officers file for new trial after $34M wrongful conviction lawsuit
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Two Las Vegas police officers are asking for a new trial after a woman previously accused of murder has been found wrongfully convicted.
According to a new Clark County District Court motion, officers Thomas Thowsen and James LaRochelle are requesting a new murder trial for Kirstin Blaise Lobato. The motion comes after the woman was awarded $34 million in a lawsuit accusing Metro police of framing her for the murder of Duran Bailey in July 2001.
Lobato was arrested in the case when she was 18 years old. In 2006, Lobato was sentenced to 13 to 35 years in prison.
In 2017, a Nevada Supreme Court judge ordered for her charges to be dropped and Lobato to be released from prison. Her case was dismissed the same year, and she was released from prison in 2018 at 35.
Lobato then filed a lawsuit against LVMPD on July 23, 2019, in which she received a payout from LVMPD. She also received punitive damages covered by Thowsen and LaRochelle for $10,000 each.
According to the motion filed Monday, the two Metro officers claim there was evidence presented during the trial that contradicts the jury’s verdict.
It also claims there were other errors during the trial that impacted the defendant’s substantial rights.
“For these rights, defendants are entitled to a new trial,” the motion says.
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