Lead Detective Admits He Never Got a Warrant for Ouellette's Blood in the Life360 Trial | Pt 25

The defense called the State's own lead detective and asked one thing again and again: did anyone ever test the driver? No blood warrant. No test at his home. This is the Life360 Trial, State of Connecticut v. Cooper Ouellette, in New Britain. Prosecutors allege Ouellette caused the May 2023 death of 17-year-old Sophie R.; he is charged with first-degree manslaughter and with giving alcohol to a minor, and he is presumed innocent. The State built much of its case on Life360 phone data. Now the defense is putting on its own case, and it calls the Connecticut State Police detective who became the lead investigator: an officer of about 19 years who had been in the major crime unit for about a month. Watch defense counsel go at the first hours of the investigation. A trooper was sent to his home that night to watch the truck. Nobody went to a judge for a warrant for his blood, and when detectives went to his home that morning, nobody asked him to take a test. The detective's answers: too much time had passed, and the call was not his to make yet. Here is the question I keep coming back to. First-degree manslaughter turns on recklessness, and whether the driver had been drinking is the kind of fact a jury would want in front of it. That fact was never collected. Was that an investigation that missed something, or a judgment call? We're not the jury; only the jurors decide. --- WATCH WITH JUSTICE 0:00:00 What this video is, and a preview 0:00:11 Intro 0:00:49 to 0:05:31 - Video starts: The defense calls the State's own lead detective as its witness. Watch who is asking the questions now. 0:05:31 to 0:10:20 - About 19 years an officer, one month in major crime, and investigations like this one before it: "probably none." 0:10:20 to 0:14:00 - Did anyone go to a judge for a warrant for the driver's blood? "No, we did not." Then his reason: too much time had passed. 0:14:00 to 0:16:25 - He agrees the driver's level of intoxication mattered, then says the call on a test was not up to him that night. 0:16:25 to 0:18:01 - He agrees he could have gone to a judge for a warrant for the blood. "But you didn't, did you?" "No." 0:18:01 to 0:20:54 - By midday he is the lead investigator. At the driver's home that morning, no one asked him to take a test. 0:20:54 to 0:23:24 - As lead investigator he did go to a judge, for Cooper Ouellette's phone, and had it searched. 0:23:24 to 0:26:55 - His notes are in an office, not in court. And a camera at the Schultz property was never seized, because the owner said it did not work. 0:26:55 to 0:27:40 - The judge ends the day early. --- COMPLETE CASE COVERAGE justiceisaprocess.com SUBSCRIBE for daily trial coverage and hit the notification bell so you never miss testimony. JOIN to unlock the Case Notebook powered by NotebookLM, where you can chat with the evidence, ask questions about testimony, and go deeper than any comment section allows. CASE BACKGROUND REPORT: https://justiceisaprocess.com/ct-v-co... Complete case overview including the charges, the timeline, the key players, and the legal questions this trial raises. State of Connecticut v. Cooper Ouellette. Connecticut Superior Court in New Britain, Judge Chris Pelosi presiding. Ouellette, of Harwinton, is charged with first-degree manslaughter and delivery of alcohol to a minor in the May 20, 2023 death of Sophie R., 17, of Burlington, after a party in Terryville. Prosecutors allege she fell from or was struck by his pickup truck; the judge has ruled that Life360 phone location data may be shown to the jury, and the defense disputes its reliability. Ouellette has pleaded not guilty. Evidence is set to begin October 29, 2026. He is presumed innocent unless and until the State proves each charge beyond a reasonable doubt. LATEST ARTICLE: https://justiceisaprocess.com/desk-20... PLAYLISTS AND RESOURCES Website: https://justiceisaprocess.com/coverag... Full Trial Live Broadcasts:    • Connecticut v. Cooper Ouellette: Full Tria...   No Breaks Edition:    • Connecticut v. Cooper Ouellette: No Breaks...   Trial Analysis Podcast:    • Connecticut v. Cooper Ouellette: Case Stor...   Key Moments and Testimony:    • Connecticut v. Cooper Ouellette: Key Momen...   Commentary:    • Connecticut v. Cooper Ouellette: Commentary   Subscribe for Daily Coverage:    / @justiceisaprocess   FAIR USE AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE This content is produced under Fair Use (17 U.S.C. 107) for news reporting, criticism, and educational purposes. We provide transformative commentary on public court proceedings, advancing public understanding of the judicial process through timestamps, analysis, and educational context. #JusticeIsAProcess #Life360Trial #CooperOuellette