(AP) A second defendant is invoking the right to a speedy trial in the 2018 raid on a squalid family compound in northern New Mexico that uncovered the remains of a 3-year-old boy and led to charges of kidnapping, firearms and terrorism charges, defense attorneys confirmed Thursday.
Subhanah Wahhaj, one of five defendants who have been incarcerated since the raid, gave birth to a child during her initial months in federal custody. She denies the charges against her and this week notified federal prosecutors and a judge in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque of her right to a trial within a reasonable amount of time after arrest.
“We filed the speedy-trial notice because it’s been (nearly) four years, and based on the evidence in the case we don’t think our client belongs in jail any more,” said Ryan Villa, a court-appointed attorney for Wahhaj.
