A judge ruled that the former suspect in a series of Phoenix freeway shootings will get his car and gun back.
The ruling Friday comes nearly two months after all charges against 21-year-old landscaper Leslie Merritt Jr. were dismissed.
Judge Warren Granville orders the gun and vehicle both be released on 6/30 in Leslie Merritt Jr case.
— MC Superior Court (@courtpio) June 17, 2016
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Prosecutors said Merritt's property was part of an ongoing investigation, but Merritt's defense attorney Jason Lamm argued that nine months was more than enough time to test the materials.
Both items will be returned to him June 30.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to comment on the ruling.
Merritt had been the only named suspect in four of 11 shootings that caused panic on Phoenix-area freeways in August and September of 2015.
An expert for the prosecution found bullets in those four incidents could not be linked to Merritt's firearm.
