Posted on 06/08/2010 7:25:21 PM PDT by SmithL
A jury of eight women and four men was seated Tuesday in the murder trial of former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle, who fatally shot unarmed train rider Oscar Grant during an arrest at Fruitvale Station in Oakland on New Year's Day 2009.
Opening statements in a courtroom in downtown Los Angeles - where the trial was moved to escape heavy publicity in the Bay Area - are scheduled for Thursday. On Wednesday, Judge Robert Perry plans to rule on a final round of legal motions by attorneys in the case.
Six alternate jurors - five women and one man - were also selected after a day of questioning by Alameda County prosecutor David Stein and defense attorney Michael Rains. The panel will be partially sequestered, court officials said, taking breaks in isolation but going home each night.
The jury includes no African Americans, disappointing Grant's family and some activists . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Very stressful for the accused. He innocently made a mistake that killed a young man who was harassing him. Tough situation.
You make an innocent mistake with a gun and kill somebody in America, and both criminally and civilly you will be destroyed, because the very fact you still had the gun in your hand, let alone pointed at a potential threat who was compliant, unarmed with his hands behind his back while sitting on the ground is virtually indefensible, and by every possible standard you should not be able to avoid the absolute maximum penalties... oh... wait a second... this is a cop, not a homeowner... nevermind...
I agree with you. Thus, I sympathize with the accused person and wish the case did not have to go to jury.
Oscar Grant and his thug friends created the ugly and volatile situation in which he died. The officer made a terrible mistake while handling that situation but Grant created it deliberately.
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