EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — A frustrated defense team questioned the former lead prosecutor on the Walmart shooting case who resigned last year after criticizing District Attorney Bill Hicks on how he is handling the case.
Loretta Hewitt, the former lead prosecutor, was one of the six witnesses who were sworn in for Thursday’s hearing.
In her testimony, Hewitt explained how she found four recordings of jail phone calls between Walmart shooter Patrick Crusius and his defense attorneys while still working for the distrcit attorney’s office in August 2023.
According to Hewitt, the recordings were on a DVD and, at the time of the hearing, did not play on the computer.
She said she noticed the calls were marked with a phone number that she immediately recognized belonged to one of Crusius’ attorneys.
After realizing what the district attorney’s office had it in possession, she alerted Hicks who agreed to have the DVD destroyed.
However, she said she did not receive instruction on notifying the defense or Judge Sam Medrano.