Stephan Dieujuste trial: Defense alleges Melbourne destroyed evidence in deadly shooting case

Stephan Dieujuste defense alleges Melbourne destroyed evidence

Attorneys for a man accused of killing a college football player are accusing the City of Melbourne of failing to preserve key evidence ahead of trial.

MELBOURNE, Fla. - Authorities in Melbourne are facing scrutiny after defense attorneys in a high-profile murder case alleged that key evidence was not preserved ahead of trial. 

The dispute comes as the case of a college football player’s death moves closer to court proceedings.

What we know:

Stephan Dieujuste, 25, is charged with fatally shooting 19-year-old Nathaniel Jennings on Mother’s Day last year in downtown Melbourne. 

Jennings was a college football player at a small Minnesota college.

Pictured: Nathaniel Jennings (Credit: UNW athletics website)

Dieujuste claims the shooting was in self-defense following an argument, and his attorneys argue that recorded jail phone calls suggest there was a plot to harm or kill him.

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Defense attorneys are seeking to have those calls admitted into evidence, as well as Jennings’ alleged juvenile record, while also renewing their request to have Dieujuste released on bond. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have raised concerns about surveillance footage from downtown Melbourne that may no longer exist.

What we don't know:

It remains unclear whether any lost or unpreserved video footage would have been materially significant to the trial or could have impacted the outcome.

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Details about the full content of the jail phone calls and whether they conclusively indicate a plot against Dieujuste have not been released. Additionally, the court has yet to decide whether the defense will be allowed to introduce Jennings’ juvenile record.

The backstory:

The allegations center on downtown Melbourne surveillance cameras. 

The defense contends that some of this footage, potentially critical to Dieujuste’s claim of self-defense, was destroyed or not preserved properly. The city acknowledges that some video requested by the defense was not saved but says all relevant material was retained.

What they're saying:

A prosecutor described the situation in court, saying, "They have cameras all over downtown Melbourne. Now we’re learning the evidence wasn’t preserved and may have been destroyed."

A lawyer representing the city responded, "We did not preserve the evidence that they requested. We preserved the relevant evidence." When pressed on whether this reflected a subjective judgment, the attorney added, "The footage in question did not contain images of Jennings or Dieujuste. The court has not issued any orders to the city of Melbourne that we could have violated. By definition, we have not been in contempt."

Defense attorneys argue that sanctions against the city may be warranted if the lost evidence is deemed significant, while continuing to push for additional evidence to be considered in the upcoming trial.

Timeline:

The shooting occurred on Mother’s Day last year. Since then, Dieujuste has been charged and in custody while pretrial hearings unfold. The latest hearing focused on the status of evidence, including surveillance footage and phone recordings, as the case progresses toward trial.