STAMFORD, Conn.—An attorney for the man accused of being the "dinnertime bandit" argued Thursday that police mishandled a photo lineup of possible suspects, leading a witness to finger his client.

Patricia Solari identified Alan Golder a decade ago from an array of eight photos as the intruder who robbed her home in 1997. She said she only saw him for a few seconds and that he wore a ski mask and gloves.

"We have a photo array here that really does not meet the standard," said Howard Ehring, a public defender representing Golder.

Ehring said Golder's photo had a background distinctive from the other seven photos and that police presented Solari with all the photos at once, allowing her to quickly eliminate all but two based on eye color. Ehring also said the lead investigator should not have shown her the photos because of the potential for bias.

Solari only saw the intruder for a few seconds and was not certain of his eye color, Ehring said. He also said she felt badgered to make an identification.

But prosecutor Joseph Valdes said the photo lineup met standards set by court rulings. He said the number of photos was standard and that police used the best photo they had of Golder.

Solari was not led to believe the suspect was in the photo lineup, Valdes said. Solari doesn't say the photo she picked was the intruder, only that his mouth and eyes closely resembled the robber, Valdes noted.

Solari said last week she eliminated...

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