Uphill Battle For Prosecutors In 2 High Profile Cases

UPDATE: A plea deal was reached in the trial of Hanif Sims. Read more here. —————————————————————————————————–

A problem with evidence is likely to mean an uphill battle for prosecutors in two upcoming high profile trials.

Hanif Sims faces a first degree murder charge in the death of his daughter Genesis. Her body was found in the crawl space of a Monument home, where the family lived.

Now, a homicide detective?s testimony is in question, after lost recordings surfaced. A jailhouse conversation he passed on to the judge may not have happened exactly the ways he said it did.

In a ruling last week, a judge said the trial can continue, despite what he called ?stunningly sloppy police work? by the El Paso County Sheriff?s Office. The judge said the mistakes could result in an acquittal for Sims.

The defense attorney for the woman accused of dragging a tow truck driver to his death, claims he is missing critical witness testimony and is blaming the Colorado Springs police department. Both trials begin tomorrow.

Detra Farries could face 24 years behind bars if she is found guilty of leaving the scene after allegedly dragging tow truck driver Allen Rose to his death nearly one year ago. Farries also faces charges of manslaughter and vehicular homicide. She could get 12 years for each count.

Her defense attorney told the judge he has not received the recorded interviews of two witnesses, explaining the interaction between Farries and Rose.

Those recordings are important because the witnesses have changed some of their stories. Those recordings could be critical to challenging the witnesses on the stand.

The interview DVDs were requested in April and the deadline to deliver them was Jan. 1. An officer is expected to take the stand tomorrow morning to help the judge determine if those DVDs were ever even made.