The LA Times is reporting that prosecutors in Colorado are upgrading the disorderly conduct charge against a CIA contractor to include a second charge: one of felony assault. When 37-year-old Raymond Davis was arrested on October 1 after a parking space, the arrest was on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and third degree assault. The upgrade in charges came after Davis’s first court appearance. Given Davis’s history prior to this incident, a good Colorado criminal defense attorney has an interesting tale to explore.
The incident in question was an argument over a parking place, which escalated into a fight when Davis allegedly “cussed out” the other party and allegedly hit him from behind when the man turned his back on Davis.
Before this incident, earlier this year, Davis was held in Pakistan for shooting and killing two men who he claimed tried to rob him. Though U.S. officials claimed that Davis had diplomatic immunity from prosecution due to his status as a CIA contractor, the Pakistani government held him until March of this year-three full months after his arrest. His release likely had something to do with the U.S. government paying 2.34 million dollars in restitution to the families of the victims-a Muslim tradition that the Pakistani government insisted be upheld.
Who knows what Davis went through during those three months?
Trials like this have all manner of twists and turns, and Colorado criminal defense attorneys watch with interest to see how these things play out. While it may not be the place of a Denver trial lawyer to speculate on the exact nature of Davis’s experiences in the Middle East, it does bring up an interesting element to ponder during his trial. Could Davis have reacted based on traumatic experiences from his time overseas?
Time will tell.