Judge tosses incriminating statements in case of ‘Conspiracy Granny’ who allegedly tormented survivors of Sutherland Springs shooting
, harrassed survivors, insisting the Nov. 5, 2017, mass shooting was a government hoax and demanding proof that their loved ones had been killed.
Ussery — who ran a Web site for conspiracy theorists and called himself “Side Thorn” — pleaded guilty to one gun charge in August. But Mann challenged the evidence that led to her indictment. Her lawyers claimed statements she made admitting she aided Ussery in his gun violation because she’d been unlawfully detained.
The case has been drawn out, in part because Ussery and Mann had to undergo psychiatric evaluations to determine whether they were competent to stand trial. Authorities concluded they were. Deputies got a warrant for the camera and later viewed the footage that showed Ussery had put a gun in the truck they were driving. At one point, Ussery told Mann that the “gun’s under the mat — that’s yours.”