Judge bans release of evidence in Joe McKnight case
20th February 2017 · 0 Comments
Ronald Gasser, the motorist charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of former NFL player Joe McKnight, was in court Thursday for a hearing on evidence in the case.
Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick charged Gasser, 55, with second-degree murder after a road-rage incident that began in Orleans Parish and ended in Terrytown after Gasser shot the former John Curtis, University of Southern California and NFL standout on December 1.
Gasser appeared before Judge Ellen Kovach Thursday in an orange jumpsuit. He was shackled for the hearing in which Kovach granted a protective order for evidence in the case.
Under the ruling, no police reports or other types of evidence in the case can be made public by either side.
FOX 8 News reported that Gasser’s attorneys objected to the motion contending they want to keep their options open.
Gasser’s attorneys last Thursday obtained forensics, and police reports they had not previously seen.
“I have yet to review the autopsy report or any of the information provided, that will be the next couple of days,” said Matthew Goetz. “I’m looking forward to finding, what if anything is in the autopsy report as far as bullet trajectories and toxicology.”
The shooting received national media attention and was compared to another fatal shooting of an NFL player, the killing of former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith, seven months earlier.
It was reported that Gasser allegedly followed McKnight an estimated six miles to the spot where the fatal shooting occurred.
Attorney Matthew Goetz, however, told reporters that his client was a “law-abiding citizen” who “feared for his life.”
“He protected himself, waited for police and fully cooperated with the sheriff’s office from the moment they arrived,” Goetz said. “He has nothing to hide. Unfortunately, it had a tragic ending. But when you’re accosted inside your vehicle, Louisiana law gives you the right to defend yourself.”
Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick announced on Feb. 2 that the charge against Gasser had been upgraded from manslaughter to second-degree murder, which carries the possibility of a sentence of life without parole, probation or suspension of the sentence.
“It seems the D.A. did a lot of additional investigation and got a different version of events after the media outcry,” Goetz said earlier this month. “We’re interested to find out what stories changed and how. We had an arrest for manslaughter that became second-degree murder in the 60 days since the incident, even though the facts haven’t changed. There’s no way Mr. Gasser could be considered the aggressor.”
In a telephone interview with Nola.com in December, George Tucker, an attorney representing the McKnight family, called the initial manslaughter charge an “insult” that “allows for good T.V., good print,” but falls short of what the late football standout’s family would consider justice.
“This is nothing,” Tucker said. “This is a bigger insult than not being charged at all.”
Investigators say Gasser shot McKnight in Terrytown in December after McKnight possibly cut him off on the road.
A pretrial conference is scheduled for March 10.
This article originally published in the February 20, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
