“But a lawyer for Officer Bubaris, Eddie Hayes, said in a telephone interview after the indictment was unsealed that prosecutors could not “prove that anything my client did caused” Mr. Perez’s death.”
IMO this quote is like the lawyer may be conceding that something may have happened (beating?)????
No the lawyer is admitting that the guy died. That is pretty clear. The question is did the person indicted do anything to cause that death.
The guy was a drunk. It is probably impossible to know when that injury was sustained.
Possibly. However, we haven’t heard from Burbaris on the stand yet, since the trial hasn’t started. He might have punched Perez and just left him to walk back to town himself. However, he has to prove that punching Perez, in and of itself, didn’t not cause Perez’s death (although the autopsy, Peltz’s footage, and Burbaris’ absence don’t look good...although the later MIGHT be cleared up if he can find any witnesses at the train station who saw him).