{"id":32704,"date":"2026-01-22T12:08:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=32704"},"modified":"2026-01-22T12:08:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:08:26","slug":"new-twist-in-timothy-busfield-abuse-case-the-4-words-in-court-that-made-melissa-gilbert-break-down-in-tears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=32704","title":{"rendered":"New Twist in Timothy Busfield Abuse Case \u2013 The 4 Words in Court That Made Melissa Gilbert Break Down in Tears"},"content":{"rendered":"

Melissa Gilbert became visibly emotional in a New Mexico courtroom after Judge David Murphy<\/a> ruled that her husband, Timothy Busfield<\/a>, would be released ahead of trial on his own recognizance. The decision came despite prosecutors urging the court to keep Busfield in custody, and required him to comply with strict conditions while awaiting further proceedings.<\/p>\n

Under the judge\u2019s order, Busfield, 68, will be supervised by pretrial services in Albuquerque and must follow multiple restrictions, including no contact with the alleged victims or their families, no interaction with minors, no possession of weapons, and abstaining from alcohol and illegal drugs. He must also attend all future court dates and notify the court of any address changes. No trial date has yet been set.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors argued against release, citing allegations of past misconduct and concerns about Busfield\u2019s actions after an arrest warrant was issued, including a delay in turning himself in. They also referenced claims by actress Claudia Christian and raised questions about compliance. Despite these objections, the court found supervised release appropriate under the circumstances.<\/p>\n

In support of release, Busfield\u2019s legal team submitted a psychosexual evaluation that classified him as \u201cvery low risk,\u201d along with more than 75 letters backing him, including several from Melissa Gilbert<\/a>. Busfield faces multiple felony charges involving alleged conduct with minors, has denied all allegations, and says he intends to fight the case as it moves forward through the legal system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Melissa Gilbert became visibly emotional in a New Mexico courtroom after Judge David Murphy ruled that her husband, Timothy Busfield, would be released ahead of trial on… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Twist in Timothy Busfield Abuse Case \u2013 The 4 Words in Court That Made Melissa Gilbert Break Down in Tears -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=32704\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Twist in Timothy 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