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Every time I see an article about Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. there seems to be more evidence that he is being framed by the Arizona DPS for a crime he didn't commit.
The police seem to want to frame Leslie Allen Merritt Jr for a series of freeway shooting. But a lot of evidence seems to say it would have been impossible for him to have committed the shooting. For example, the gun the cops claim to have been used in one shooting was in a pawn shop at the time of the shooting.
I-10 shooting report: 1200 pages, 5 fast facts Megan Cassidy, The Republic | azcentral.com 9:46 a.m. MST March 12, 2016 Since the night Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. was arrested, the case against him has been filled with twists and turns. Merritt, 21, is the man suspected of taking pot shots at moving vehicles on Interstate 10 in Phoenix last summer in a case that had kept drivers across town on edge for weeks. He’s in jail now, facing 15 charges, including drive-by shooting and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Even as a SWAT team was taking Merritt down, Gov. Doug Ducey was tweeting "We got him!" The string of incidents included 11 vehicles hit, mostly along Interstate 10. Eight vehicles were struck by bullets. But investigators officially linked Merritt to only four incidents, ending Aug. 30. Then, they revised their timeline of what would have been the fourth shooting, saying it had actually happened days earlier — because Merritt's gun was inside a pawn shop Aug. 30. Merritt’s attorneys have lodged a ferocious defense, releasing several details of the case through court records. Late on Friday the Department of Public Safety released more than 1,200 pages of investigative documents, interview transcripts, even records from the pawn shop, in response to a request from The Republic and azcentral under the state's open records law. The reports don't immediately resolve any of the ongoing questions about Merritt or the state's case against him. But they shed new light on investigators' tactics, Merritt's unwavering declarations of innocence and the trail of the gun in question. Here are five things the files reveal: In their first interview with Merritt, Merritt expresses doubt that the DPS actually has the evidence they've claimed proves he's the shooter. Investigator: "I have video tape from the freeway with your silver car. I have ballistic tests that comes back to your gun." Merritt: "You have a video of me shooting my gun out of my car?" Investigator: "Absolutely." Merritt: "Bulls--t." Investigator: "Absolutely." Merritt: "I have not fired my gun dude, that's bulls--t." 2. Merritt visited the pawn shop five separate times in the months before his arrest The DPS files cite reports from the ATF and include receipts from Mo Money Pawn in Phoenix, where investigators found the gun they said was connected to four freeway shooting incidents. They detail the movements of the firearm connected with the shooting: Officials say the four shootings they connected to Merritt occurred Aug. 27 through Aug. 29, though their timeline was revised from an original report that timed a shooting late on Aug. 30. Investigators adjusted the report later, saying that a man had left his car at the airport parking garage and likely didn’t realize his vehicle had been shot beforehand. 3. Merritt suggested another suspect In his interview with investigators, Merritt denied countless times that he had anything to do with the freeway shootings. Though he didn’t outright point the finger at a coworker who had borrowed his car, he discussed the possibility with the investigator. Investigator: "So you're going to tell me when he would go and take your car to go to the bathroom …" Merritt: "My gun’s in the car." Investigator: "He would be gone for a good 35-45 minutes?" Merritt: "Yes, sir." Investigator: "Okay." Merritt: "That's the honest truth." 4. Merritt realizes the case looks bad for him After police describe ballistics tests they say prove Merritt's gun was used in the shootings, Merritt seems to grasp the gravity of his situation. Investigator: "I'm just telling you, if you were sitting on the jury, what would you think?" Merritt: "Obviously like I said, II people would say it was me. But I have not done it." 5. A search warrant on Merritt’s car turned up BB gun ammunition Merritt has only been tied to four of the 11 cases associated with the string of incidents along I-10. DPS officials have said several of them may have been the result of projectiles other than bullets, but there's no indication from the report that they are tying Merritt to cases through BB gun evidence. However, a list of items found in his silver 1998 Saturn included "BB gun ammunition." More articles about how Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is framing Leslie Allen Merritt Jr.
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