Child sex abuse charges against Timothy Busfield tossed by New Mexico judge, citing prosecutor misconduct
- Judge cans Timothy Busfield's indictment over a grand jury process that 'stank worse than a Hollywood backlot deal'
- D.A.'s office told jurors they'd need subpoenas for willing witnesses—apparently confusing the courtroom with a DMV
- Twin boys initially told cops 'no touching,' but after losing their TV gigs, parents suddenly remembered everything
- Busfield, aka 'Canceled Guy,' insists allegations are 'one gazillion percent untrue'—that's a lot of percent, folks
Brief Summary
In a stunning burst of judicial sanity, a New Mexico judge tossed the child sex abuse indictment against Timothy Busfield, citing prosecutor misconduct that made the grand jury look like a kangaroo court with better lighting. The 'West Wing' and 'Thirtysomething' vet was accused of inappropriate contact with twin boys on the set of 'The Cleaning Lady,' but the kids initially told police nothing happened—until they were fired, at which point mommy and daddy discovered a sudden need for vengeance and possibly a lawsuit. The judge found the D.A.'s office actively blocked grand jurors from hearing from 'present, available and willing' witnesses, forcing them to rely on the flimsiest of testimony wrapped in procedural knots. Prosecutors spun Busfield's three-hour self-defense testimony as 'excessive steering,' but the judge wasn't buying the state's cockamamie excuses for withholding evidence. The guy's career is already in the toilet—he testified to being 'canceled,' fired by his agency, and losing gigs—but at least he won't be doing six years per count for what looks increasingly like a parent's revenge fantasy gone legal.
Why This Matters
This is a gut-check for anyone who thinks the justice system is a fair fight. Here, a prosecutor's office allegedly played hide-the-ball with grand jurors who were literally begging to hear from witnesses that would have helped the defense—and that's enough to nuke an indictment. But before you pop the champagne, remember: the D.A. can just re-indict, so Busfield isn't out of the woods; he's just got a clearer view of the trees. For the average reader, this is a stark reminder that 'believe all accusers' can clang hard against 'innocent until proven guilty' when the accusers have a financial motive and the kids' first statements contradict the charge. The real lesson? If you're a celebrity with a pending felony and a judge who hates prosecutorial sloppiness, you might get a second chance—but your reputation is already bleeding out on the cutting room floor. Meanwhile, the parents of those boys are sitting there with a dead TV show and a lawsuit-shaped hole in their hearts, and the D.A. has to decide whether to double down or slink away. Either way, the grand jury system just took a visible black eye in a state that already has enough of them.