New Mexico 法官撤销演员 Timothy Busfield 涉儿童性侵起诉书 指检方在大陪审团程序中未公正行事
New Mexico 州一名地区法官 10 月 16 日裁定，撤销对演员兼导演 Timothy Busfield 的大陪审团起诉书，理由是检方在向大陪审团提呈案件的过程中未能公正、无偏私地行事。
现年 69 岁的 Busfield 于今年 2 月被大陪审团起诉，面临 4 项与儿童发生性接触（criminal sexual contact of a child）的罪名。检方指控称，2022 年底至 2024 年初，Busfield 在 Albuquerque 拍摄福克斯（Fox）剧集《The Cleaning Lady》期间，对片中一对双胞胎男童演员有不当触碰，两名男童事发时分别为 7 岁和 8 岁。Busfield 自始否认全部指控，今年 1 月向当局自首，2 月对起诉表示不认罪，1 月 20 日获释待审。
地区法官 Joseph Montano 在裁决中批准了辩方撤销起诉书的动议。裁决指出，检方没有正确向大陪审团说明传唤证人的法律，包括证人出庭需要传票、需提前 36 小时通知、且至少需 8 名大陪审员同意等说法并不符合法律规定——法官本可缩短通知时限，证人也可自愿出庭作证。裁决认为，检方给出的这套程序实际效果是单方面扣下了大陪审员要求听取的证人，违反了保障大陪审团结构完整性的法规，构成推定偏见。法官在裁决中写道，检方「未能以公正、无偏私的方式行事」（failed to act in a fair and impartial manner）。
据 Reuters 报道，此次撤销并不妨碍检方重新提出指控。Bernalillo County 地方检察官办公室发言人 Nancy Laflin 表示，该办公室已收到裁决，正在评估后续选项。Busfield 的辩护律师 Amanda Fayerberg 表示，Busfield 在得知裁决后感到宽慰和感激；其民事律师 Larry Stein 表示，Busfield 自始坚持自己无辜。
Busfield 曾出演电视剧《thirtysomething》《The West Wing》等作品，并凭《thirtysomething》获得艾美奖。
（GSM 据 Reuters、USA TODAY 报道；USA TODAY 与 People 均称已取得并查阅法院裁决文件。）
New Mexico Judge Dismisses Indictment Against Actor Timothy Busfield, Faults Prosecutors' Grand Jury Conduct
A New Mexico district judge on October 16 dismissed the grand jury indictment against actor and director Timothy Busfield, ruling that prosecutors had failed to act in a fair and impartial manner in presenting the case to the grand jury.
Busfield, 69, was indicted in February on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child. Prosecutors alleged that between late 2022 and early 2024, while filming the Fox series 'The Cleaning Lady' in Albuquerque, he inappropriately touched twin boy actors who were 7 and 8 years old at the time. Busfield has denied all allegations; he surrendered to authorities in January, pleaded not guilty in February, and was released pending trial on January 20.
District Judge Joseph Montano granted the defense motion to dismiss, finding that prosecutors had misstated the law on witness subpoenas to the grand jury — including claims that witnesses required subpoenas, 36 hours' notice, and the agreement of at least eight grand jurors — with the practical effect of keeping witnesses the grand jurors wanted to hear from them, in violation of rules protecting the structural integrity of the grand jury. According to Reuters, the dismissal does not bar prosecutors from bringing charges again. A spokesperson for the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office said it had received the ruling and was evaluating its options. Busfield's defense attorney said he was relieved and grateful at the news.
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图片来源：图：演员兼导演 Timothy Busfield（资料图）。图片来源：Allan Lundell，CC BY 3.0，经维基共享资源。Photo: Actor and director Timothy Busfield (file photo). Credit: Allan Lundell, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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