Mexican Judge Finally Views Video Of Sgt. Tahmooressi’s Wrong Turn Into Mexico That Landed Him In Prison

Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi’s lawyer is optimistic after spending eight hours before a Mexican federal judge viewing video footage of the events surrounding the decorated American Marine’s fateful wrong turn into Mexico more than five months ago.

On Tuesday, a hearing convened in a Mexican courtroom for the purpose of admission of evidence, according to Guns. Present was Judge Victor Octavio Luna Escobedo, a federal prosecutor, a U.S. State Department representative, and Tahmooressi’s defense attorney Fernando Benitez, reports FOX. The Marine’s mother Jill Tahmooressi was also there, though neither Sgt. Tahmooressi nor the public or media were present for the hearing. No ruling was expected from the evidentiary hearing.

The video footage that the judge saw included selections from some 49 files, some of which are eight hours long, according to a tweet by Benitez. The videos are from the night of Tahmooressi’s detention and subsequent arrest. After emerging from the courthouse just after midnight Wednesday morning, Tahmooressi’s attorney told FOX, in an exclusive interview, that the video confirms Sgt. Tahmooressi’s side of the story that he accidentally crossed the Mexican border with three legally-owned and registered weapons.

“We are happy with the results because we can conclusively state that our client told the truth all along,”

It took some doing to get the Mexican Customs officials to turn over the video to the judge. Benitez said earlier that that the officials were dragging their feet in their reluctance to turn over the video. It took a court order to get the tapes; tapes of evidence that can only bolster the case of the side that is telling the truth by corroborating their claims.

According to Benitez, “He set forth an order whereby basically he told Customs, ‘I’m not asking. I’m telling you to deliver the tapes.'”

On the day before the hearing, Fernando Benitez tweeted to his followers, “I believe my client’s statement, but not arresting officers’ version; tomorrow we’ll see who’s been truthful and who has not.”

None of the video footage has yet been made available to the media or the public. But, the video apparently backs up Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi’s version.

Benitez told FOX on Wednesday.

“You can clearly see that my client’s demeanor from the beginning is calm, he is cooperative. He is clearly motioning… that he wants to go back and motions that the guns are hidden in a certain place and he cooperates with his captors.”

He also argues that Tahmooressi was not provided with a translator and was denied an attorney for almost eight hours by the Mexican customs officials and that there are also other “irregularities” that happened with the paperwork and arrest process.

Another hearing is scheduled for September 29, in which the defense plans to submit a forensic photo and video report that the team is working on that will demonstrate how easy it is for someone to make the wrong turn that landed Andrew Tahmooressi accidentally into so much trouble.

The Inquisitr has previously reported that Greta Van Susteren made a trip to the border and has demonstrated that very thing.

Greta reported Monday that American tax money is being spent to upgrade the border crossing at San Ysidro and that $500,000 of that money is earmarked for art. She has a great suggestion for a better use for that tax money.

“Would you not think that someone in the government with half a brain might say, if we have an extra half a million dollars hanging around, instead of spending it on art, why don’t we spend it on what we need, like more giant traffic sign for miles approaching the border and right at the border, all lit it with giant letters saying, ‘Last chance to turn around’ or ‘Don’t go here,’ ‘Mexico only.’ So that you, or guys like Sergeant Tahmooressi, who served two tours in Afghanistan for us, don’t make a mistake and turn into Mexico with no turn around and end up rotting in a Mexican prison.”

Though progress is, at last, being made on Sgt. Tahmooressi’s plight, the outcome is far from certain, even after the videos have been submitted that support his version of the events. If he were to be convicted, our American veteran Marine faces six to 21 years in a Mexican prison. Let us hope for justice to be served for Sgt. Tahmooressi.

#FreeOurMarine