KINGMAN – Local judge Billy Sipe has begrudgingly granted continuances in the separate trials of Lake Havasu City parents who are charged in the death of their toddler. Judge Sipe expressed frustration that parties could not soon be ready when he set November 5 trials for Andrew Lamorie, 23, and Brittany Rodriquez, 26, back in January.
The continuance motions, filed by Lamorie’s attorney Robin Puchek and Rodriquez legal defender Ron Gilleo, were based on contention of late disclosure by the state. Gilleo said it’s not uncommon to learn about several missing pages just prior to trial, but he said that he and Puchek were only recently provided some 1,200 pages of disclosure they should have had months ago.
Gilleo said such substantial disclosure failure in this instance is much more than a “hiccup.” Puchek said some of the previously undisclosed material was fairly substantive since it involved police interviews with the defendant’s family members and neighbors.
Judge Sipe said he would have granted motions for sanction had either defense attorney requested him to do so. Yet, he also noted that the attorneys are entitled an adequate amount of time to prepare for trial, particularly because both defendants face potential life sentences if convicted.
Sipe said his court business and trial calendars are cram-packed into the spring. Accordingly, he set Lamorie’s trial for April 7 and Rodriquez’ for April 28.
The defendant’s daughter, 27-month-old Gabriella Lamorie, weighed just 14 pounds at the time of her death at a Las Vegas hospital in January, 2018. In addition to malnutrition, an autopsy determined that Gabriella suffered blunt force head and neck trauma and ruled her death a homicide.
