The lead homicide investigator in a murder case has been accused of having a sexual relationship with the suspect, calling into question some of the evidence he presented in the case.
On Monday, jury selection was underway for the murder trial of Shaniqua Brown, who stands accused of fatally shooting 20-year-old Jasmine Moore over a social media post in 2019.
However, during Monday morning's session, defense attorneys requested that evidence from Huntsville Police investigator Julian Johnson be tossed out, as reported by WAFF.
Judge Karen Hall acknowledged that Brown and Johnson had a relationship and took a trip together to Germantown, Tennessee. She added that she saw photos of Johnson's "naked backside" from said trip, and she even mentioned seeing his badge in some photos.
Brown's attorney, Chad Morgan, said that's why Johnson is no longer with the force, but state attorneys said that Johnson simply retired. Morgan also said before trial started this morning that Johnson, and Brown had a sexual relationship long before she was charged with murder, and it went on after her arrest.
The State and the defense team came to an agreement that they can't reference the alleged affair unless Morgan thinks it's relevant. And if he does think it's relevant, he needs to approach the bench first.
Brown's relationship with Johnson never came up during the trial on Tuesday, but defense attorney Chad Morgan believes it is relevant to this case.
"I think it is important because it shows bias to the investigation. It shows integrity to investigations. When you are investigating someone or investigating a situation, your integrity gets called into question," said Morgan. "That could tank the entire investigation. I think that's a very important part of it. So far, the states have done a good job of keeping that out; they haven't opened up the door yet."
Wednesday morning, both the state and defense will have the opportunity to give closing arguments.
