Ross Ulbricht Will Not Testify at His Trial

Ross Ulbricht told a federal judge on Monday that he will not testify in his own defense.

The defense called its first three witnesses today, all of whom said they knew Ulbricht since his childhood in Austin, Texas, and testified to his “kind” and “gentle” nature.

“He’s one of the most peaceful people I know,” said Daniel Davis, a 30-year-old employee for the city of Austin who went to middle school and high school with Ulbricht.

According to WSJ, Ulbricht’s case was dealt a blow on Monday after U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest threw out two expert witnesses for the defense – a bitcoin entrepreneur named Andreas Antonopoulos and a Columbia University computer science professor named Steven Bellovin. Mr. Ulbricht’s lawyers disclosed these witnesses last week, which Judge Forrest said in a strongly worded order was a “belated and substantially inadequate” notice.