NEW ORLEANS – A Crimestoppers tipster will be forced to testify after an Orleans Parish judge denied a bid Tuesday to keep the man off the stand.
According to the New Orleans Advocate, Judge Robin Pittman said the tipster must appear for the trial of Thayon Sansom. Sansom is accused of shooting a woman and burning her body in a remote part of New Orleans East in June 2015.
Shortly after the murder, the tipster called Crimestoppers to say he saw a man with Sansom’s mohawk hairdo standing near the car where Lindsay Nichols was dumped.
However, in March 2016, the tipster gave NOPD homicide detectives a full, audio-recorded interview. That’s where prosecutors said the man gave up his right to anonymity.
"The court believes at this time, Crimestoppers has no standing in this matter," Pittman said.
She added that the witness gave up the protection of the state statute, which deems tips to such organizations "privileged communication," when he talked to police.
