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Ahead of Gage Ashley's March trial on murder charges for the November 2019 shooting death of Joshua Poole, an evidence suppression hearing was held in Cayuga County Court. Judge Thomas Leone heard arguments on the legality of the police search, which took place at the Aurelius residence of Ashley's partner, Mary Ferro, days after Poole's death.

Meagan Kalet, formerly a detective with the Auburn Police Department and its lead investigator on Poole's death, testified that on Nov. 21, 2019, Ferro signed the consent form allowing law enforcement to search her home, where Ashley had a room. When Ferro later took the stand, however, she told Cayuga County Chief Assistant District Attorney Chris Valdina that she never signed the form.  

"This is not my signature and I did not sign that document," she said.

Ferro said law enforcement officers asked her, "Where's the gun?" and told her, "We don't care that you use cocaine." She said that she doesn't use cocaine, but the comment made her concerned.

"I thought to myself, 'Oh my God, I am in big trouble,'" she said.

After she saw the form, Ferro testified, she hired a handwriting expert to give an opinion on it. But the expert, whom Ferro did not name, was not in court and she did not say what their opinion was. 

Officers from the Auburn Police Department, Cayuga County Sheriff's Office and New York State Police also testified at the hearing. It began with Ferro, 61, who said that she was a teaching assistant at Southern Cayuga Central School District when she met Ashley, now 26, who was a student there at the time. She said their romantic relationship began around 2017. 

Ashley is one of four people charged in the death of Poole. Ashley was convicted of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and other charges and sentenced in December 2021, but the conviction was overturned in May after a state appeals court  the grand jury that indicted him was illegal due to a member having a criminal conviction. He was arraigned again on the same charges in June.

At the end of the hearing, Leone told the prosecution and Ferro's defense attorney, Shaun Chase, that their legal arguments about the hearing and its testimony are due Jan. 26.

Leone said he hopes to issue a decision by Feb. 2, with a pretrial conference set for Feb. 9.