It’s true. Four witnesses described everything the man was wearing and his physical features in very precise detail. I didn’t mention the altercation took place at night in front of a bar and the defendant was toward the back of one of the mobs, something all witnesses agreed on. The woman, in the opposite mob was shot it the heel of the foot. Tough shot for a guy standing in front of her, though I suppose she could have turned for a moment.
I have a feeling that at the time the trial took place there was so much trust in the cops and maybe a little racism as well as “the defendant is a bad guy anyway” that the jury felt they’d at least nail him for this.
I can understand, and agree to a degree with that sentiment. But if I am on a jury trial, I MUST keep that attitude and information separate. He could be Adolf Hitler, but if the evidence is as you described it, there is no way I’d find him guilty of this particular crime.