Crime & justice

Judge Tosses Child Sex Abuse Case Against Timothy Busfield

Did a dismissal on technicalities deny accusers their day in court or did it rightly end a case that never should have been brought?

3 hours ago·Updated 1 hour ago

Judge Tosses Child Sex Abuse Case Against Timothy Busfield

Story

Above: Timothy Busfield at the Bernalillo County Courthouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Jan. 20. Image credit: Sam Wasson/Getty Images

The Facts

A New Mexico judge dismissed an indictment Friday accusing actor and director Timothy Busfield of criminal sexual contact with a child. District Judge Joseph Montano found the prosecutor "failed to act in a fair and impartial manner."
FOX News
BBC News
Montano's order said prosecutors did not properly instruct grand jurors on how to call additional witnesses, including by stating that at least eight jurors had to agree, which led jurors to abandon their requests for testimony.
The New York Times
The Guardian
Just The News
The order noted that the state remains free to begin new criminal proceedings. Nancy Laflin of the Second Judicial District Attorney's Office said the office received the ruling and is "evaluating our options to determine how we will proceed."
FOX News
Page Six
Busfield was charged in February in a four-count grand jury indictment alleging he inappropriately touched twin boys on the Albuquerque set of the Fox drama "The Cleaning Lady." The boys reported the contact occurred when they were 7 and 8 years old.
The Washington Times
The Guardian
At a September hearing, defense attorney Amanda Fayerberg played recordings of grand jurors asking to hear more witnesses. Jurors named cinematographer Alan Caudillo, who court filings say was at the courthouse ready to testify but was not called.
The New York Times
Page Six
Just The News
Busfield's attorneys said the boys initially told police he had not touched them inappropriately and accused the parents of coaching the children after they lost their roles. The defense submitted more than 70 character letters on his behalf.
The Washington Times
BBC News

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Tossing a case over paperwork problems and grand jury technicalities says nothing about whether children were harmed. Kids who speak up deserve a jury weighing the evidence, not a procedural escape hatch that slams the door before anyone testifies. Fame and a star-studded marriage shouldn't buy a way out of the courtroom.

Gina Beana Fofina on X

Narrative B

A case built on shaky claims had no business reaching a courtroom in the first place. When a grand jury gets steered away from witnesses who were ready and willing to testify, the whole process is tainted, and dismissal is the only honest outcome. Accusations alone already wrecked a career, and that damage never gets undone.

Daily Mail

Narrative C

The dismissal does not determine whether the allegations against Timothy Busfield are true or false. Instead, the ruling focused on prosecutorial misconduct during grand jury proceedings. While the charges have been dismissed, prosecutors could potentially pursue the case again, leaving open the possibility of future legal action.