CENTENNIAL — Prosecutors in the Aaron Thompson trial announced Thursday that authorities have located a third vehicle from the Thompson home, a development that could delay the trial for weeks.
Prosecutors produced more than 100 pages of evidence related to a Ford Mustang that belonged to Thompson, who is on trial in the death of his daughter, Aaroné.
Authorities found the vehicle Aug. 31. It was not clear why prosecutors waited until after the defense rested its case Wednesday to present their findings.
The revelation could have a big impact on the trial.
Police believe Thompson and Shelley Lowe, Thompson’s late live-in girlfriend, buried the girl’s body in a field.
During testimony in the five-week trial in Arapahoe County District Court, it was revealed that two of the vehicles at the Thompson home did not have any DNA or blood that belonged to Aaroné.
There is a gag order in the case barring either side from talking about the trial.
The district attorney’s office most likely had the Mustang tested for blood, DNA and other evidence, and that information would be in the discovery files given to the defense team Thursday.
Judge Valeria Spencer gave the defense the day to review the findings. This morning, the judge will determine how to proceed.
Rob McCallum, spokesman for the State Court Administrator’s Office, said that if the defense decides to do its own forensic testing, it could delay the trial for weeks. The case was scheduled to go to closing arguments today.
The defense also could decide to call witnesses to testify about the car and the forensic testing, which would prolong the trial.
However, if nothing was found in the Mustang, the defense could decide against calling witnesses or doing more testing, and closing arguments could begin Monday.
Thompson faces 60 charges, including child abuse resulting in death, related to the death of Aaroné and the abuse of seven other children who lived with him and Lowe in a home on East Kepner Place in Aurora. Lowe died of heart failure in 2006, about a year before Thompson was indicted.
Aaroné would have been 6 years old when her father reported her missing in November 2005. Authorities believe she died at least two years earlier, probably sometime in 2003. Thompson said Aaroné ran away over a cookie.
Defense attorneys have implied that Lowe was the one who hurt the girl and that Thompson helped cover it up.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
