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The sentencing of a man convicted of carrying a loaded shotgun on Capitol Hill has been postponed until August 1 due to a defense motion. Michael Gorbey, 38, faces decades in prison after being found guilty in May by a D.C. Superior Court jury on 14 counts, including manufacturing a weapon of mass destruction. His sentencing had been set for Friday. Gorbey requested a postponement of the sentencing proceeding and all other court actions in his case to allow the D.C. Court of Appeals time to review motions filed by Gorbey for a new trial. Superior Court Judge Gregory Jackson had denied Gorbey’s motion, arguing he had already received a fair trial. “The ends of justice and requirements of due process will not be met until this case is reviewed by a judiciary authority other than the presiding judge,” Gorbey said in a hand-written document submitted to the court. Gorbey, who defended himself during the three-week trial, was arrested while wearing a flak jacket and carrying a three-foot sword and the loaded shotgun. He said he was on a way to a meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts. During a search of a truck Gorbey allegedly drove to the Capitol weeks after his arrest, police found components that could be used to build an explosive device. Those findings led a jury to convict him on weapons of mass destruction charges. Gorbey repeatedly said he was the victim of a government conspiracy during the trial. UPDATED: The motions came in the wake of the appointment of a new attorney for Gorbey, who sought a continuance of the trial's proceedings, according to a source. |
