UPDATED AT 9/6/2019, 11:58 a.m.

In yet another update on the Malibu Creek State Park Shootings case you will only read here on The Local Malibu, it was decided on September 4th, that Anthony Rauda, accused of killing Tristan Beaudette last summer while camping at Malibu Creek State Park, will be spending considerably more time in jail.

The wheels of justice came to a grinding halt in a Van Nuys Courtroom on Wednesday when the judge proceeding over the matter agreed to push the preliminary hearing more than 6 months out, into the new year, further denying the alleged shooter’s right to a speedy trial.

However, in an interesting turn of events, it seems the defense is the one that asked for additional time. The request was apparently made in advance to the hearing and it was granted.

The Preliminary Setting and/or “Readiness” Conference was moved until March, 2020.

It is a well known fact that Anthony Rauda, who appeared in court Wednesday behind glass and strapped to a chair as he has been in previous court appearances, has requested to change attorneys openly stating he does not trust his public defender.

Given the monumental task the D.A.’s office has to show sufficient evidence to get to trial, let alone a conviction for murder and multiple shootings (where the actual crimes scenes were never processed nor evidence never collected), it seems more reasonable to believe the D.A. is pulling political puppet strings behind the scenes, rather than the defense truly needing additional time.

SMOKE AND MIRRORS

While it’s not surprising to those of us who have been watching the case closely the D.A. is most likely not prepared, what is surprising is pushing this case well into 2020, an election year, which is an exceptionally risky move for D.A. Lacey who is running again for office.

After exposing the two-year law enforcement cover-up of shootings occurring in and around Malibu Creek State Park, The Local Malibu conducted numerous interviews, gathered witness statements, and information regarding the shootings that allegedly began in November of 2016. There is a staggering lack of evidence in the multiple shooting cases, let alone against Anthony Rauda, who is not only being charged for the death of Beaudette, he is also accused of at least 5 additional shootings dating back at least two years prior.

There is no question the D.A.’s office will have an extremely difficult time prosecuting the case, and based on the stalling tactics by the D.A.’s office, getting this case to trial, let alone convicting Rauda for the Beaudette’s murder and the shootings, is proving to be quite a feat.

Accusations of murder without sufficient evidence is par for the course for D.A. Lacey’s former colleague Sheriff Jim McDonnell which proved devastating in the 2018 Sheriff’s election.

McDonnell lost to Alex Villanueva, after a series of bad decisions, including wrongfully accusing Cherie Townsend of murder (who is currently suing LASD directly related to McDonnell’s actions) and the cover-up of the shootings at Malibu Creek State Park leaving the door wide open for Villanueva to charge in and take the top spot at LASD. The outcome of the 2018 Sheriff’s election proved that a stellar grass roots campaign, the power of social media and the internet can definitively impact an election and sway voter opinion.

It also proved the People weren’t willing to re-elect a politician who put their political agenda before the law and due process.

Where hoping the high profile Malibu Creek State State Park Shooting case – and its outcome – could have the same affect on the 2020 D.A. race, hammering the proverbial last nail in D.A. Lacey’s coffin in next year’s election.

Rauda is currently being held on $1 million bail, yet the D.A. has yet to present to the courts sufficient evidence to move forward to trial.

Meanwhile, there have been multiple reports of shots fired in Malibu Creek State Park and the surrounding area since Rauda’s arrest last October further indicating there is high probability that the man behind bars is not the responsible for the murder of Tristan Beaudette or the numerous shootings that were covered up by LASD over a 2 year period.

The question now remains, when will the D.A. show their final hand and either produce sufficient evidence to move forward to trial… or not?

It looks like we won’t know the answer to that until another election season is upon us.