New filing suggests ballistics testing inconclusive, clears Leslie Merritt, Jr.

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - It was the heart of the investigation into the Interstate 10 serial shooter case -- ballistic evidence that prosecutors say linked Leslie Merritt Jr.'s gun to bullets found at the crime scene.

Now that evidence may be in jeopardy.

In a new filing from Merritt's attorney's they claim the state's forensic testing of the bullets and bullet fragments were wrong. In fact, they cite a separate, independent firearms test that concluded that the bullets from the scenes could not be linked to Merritt's weapon at all.

Merritt spent seven months behind bars before being released in April after the charges were dropped.