Prosecutors added new charges Wednesday in their case against
Jesse Crow, alleging that he used a firearm to kill his wife.
Dennis Taylor
Prosecutors added new charges Wednesday in their case against Jesse Crow, alleging that he used a firearm to kill his wife.
Prosecutor Stephanie Hulsey filed an amended complaint early Wednesday. The complaint included charges of a felon in possession of a firearm and cultivating marijuana.
The attorney representing Crow expressed outrage, saying the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office surprised him with hundreds of pages of reports early Wednesday – two days before a scheduled preliminary hearing – and said he feels certain that additional discovery is being withheld.
“I do not believe, even today, that the District Attorney’s Office is giving us a complete picture, with all of the evidence, pro and con,” said defense attorney Thomas Worthington.
Crow is accused of the murder of his wife, 23-year-old Ryann Bunnell Crow, whose body has not been found. She was last seen Jan. 30.
“The district attorney handed the amended complaint and an additional 450 pages of reports to us at 10:15 this morning, without prior notice,” Worthington said. “Some of the reports go back to Feb. 18.”
Hulsey was contacted by The Monterey Herald late Wednesday, but did not immediately respond to a request on her voicemail for comment.
Worthington said his office had made a proper written request for the documents two weeks ago, along with a verbal request.
“The DA has a duty to provide discovery without request, and they have simply delayed without explanation for reasons that have me completely baffled,” Worthington said.
“We were ready to proceed (with the preliminary hearing) on Friday – we were ready to go – but we’re absolutely forced into a delay,” he said. “We’ll need much more time to thoroughly read this additional material.”
They will be back in court at 8:30 a.m. Friday to set a new pretrial hearing date, Worthington said.
