ATLANTA: Facing impassioned jurors, a judge on Tuesday declared three former Georgia sheriff’s deputies a wrongful trial in the murder of a black man whom he held with a stun gun during his 2017 arrest. Was hit repeatedly.
Senior Judge H. Gibbs Flanders Jr. approved a defense motion for wrongful hearing on charges against Henry Lee Copeland, Michael Howell and Rhett Scott in the death of 58-year-old Yuri Martin. The jury foreman told the judge that there were no jury members in the Sandersville courtroom. His view changed since Friday, the first day of deliberations, and that much time was unlikely to lead to the consensus needed for conviction or acquittal.
Martin, who had a history of schizophrenia, was walking through the central Georgia town of Deepstep on a hot day in July 2017, making the 30-mile (50-kilometer) trip to see his relatives, when a resident called Martin Called 911 to report. doubtful.
It was not immediately clear whether Washington County prosecutors intended to reopen the case against the dismissed deputies. Three people remain under indictment and are free on bail.
Prosecutors argued that Copeland, Howell and Scott, all white men, had no reason to detain Martin.
However, defense lawyers said Martin had illegally walked down the street when he spilled a soft drink can, and took an aggressive stance and interrupted an officer when he did not obey the deputy’s orders. He also argued that the stun gun did not kill Martin, implying that the officers were not attacking him with a lethal weapon, a key underlying element of one of the murder charges.
Defense attorney Mark Schaefer told jurors in closing arguments that Martin was not allowed to walk away and that the officers’ action was justified, calling it a tragic, tragic accident but not a crime.
Assistant District Attorney Kelly Weathers, however, argued that a death was not an accident “if your actions were negligently neglected that is imminent.
Howell and Scott, but not Copeland, testified in their defense.
___
Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
Disclaimer: This post has been self-published from the agency feed without modification and has not been reviewed by an editor
read all breaking news, breaking news And coronavirus news Here. follow us on Facebook, Twitter And Wire.