PHOENIX (AP) — A landscaper once charged in metro Phoenix's 2015 freeway shootings took the witness stand Monday in a civil trial in which he alleges he was wrongfully arrested.
Leslie Merritt Jr. told jurors that he wasn't involved in the attacks and that publicity from his now-dismissed criminal case has caused deep problems in his life.
Merritt described an interview in which investigators rejected his claims of innocence and instead falsely claimed they had video of the shootings.
Merritt said authorities conducted surveillance on him and considered him a suspect even after his charges were dismissed amid heavy criticism of the case's ballistics evidence.
