Man charged with shooting officers requests bench trial
BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) — The suspect charged with shooting and injuring two Massachusetts police officers in 2018 has asked for a jury-waived trial.
Malik Koval, 23, of Falmouth, who is facing multiple counts of assault and battery as well as several other charges, was expected plead guilty Tuesday during a hearing in Barnstable Superior Court, and get up to 12 years in prison under terms of a plea deal reached with prosecutors last month.
But Koval’s attorney, Brian Kelley, instead said his client wants to schedule a jury-waived trial, also known as a bench trial, at which a judge would adjudicate the case, The Cape Cod Times reported.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Donovan said he doesn’t think the case is yet ready for trial, citing outstanding issues that need to be resolved.
Falmouth Officers Donald DeMiranda and Ryan Moore were wounded in July 2018 when responding to a report of a man yelling and throwing trash in the street outside Koval’s mother’s home.
Kelley has argued that Koval acted in self-defense when the officers followed him into his mother’s home. He also said Koval has been diagnosed with a mental illness and that race played a role in how the officers treated him. Koval is Black.