ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) \u2014 The judge who presided over the manslaughter trial of a Minnesota police officer acquitted in the fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile took the unusual step of writing to the jurors to tell them that he supports them despite widespread public criticism of their verdict.<\/p>\n
\u201cI write to re-assure you that you faithfully fulfilled the difficult task you were asked to undertake,\u201d Ramsey County District Judge William Leary III said in his letter to the jury, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The judge told jurors he was not providing his own opinion of St. Anthony officer Jeronimo Yanez\u2019s actions during the fatal traffic stop last July in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights, but wanted to convey that their verdict \u201cwas fully supported by a fair interpretation of the evidence and the law you were obligated to apply.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reached Monday, Leary issued a short statement to the newspaper that said, \u201cI appreciate your interest, but I don\u2019t believe any discussion would be of any additional value.\u201d<\/p>\n
The verdict on June 16 sparked a rally at the State Capitol, which gave way to a march through St. Paul that shut down light rail service and ended with a confrontation with authorities on Interstate 94.<\/p>\n
Leary sent his letter a few days after authorities released dramatic dashboard camera video showing the Latino officer firing seven shots at the 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker in a matter of seconds, just after Castile informed Yanez he was armed. The shooting gained widespread attention after Castile\u2019s girlfriend, who was in the car with her then-4-year-old daughter, livestreamed its gruesome aftermath on Facebook.<\/p>\n
During his trial, Yanez, 29, testified that Castile ignored his commands not to pull out his gun. The officer said he feared for his life. According to squad car video that captured the shooting, Castile said \u201cI\u2019m not pulling it out\u201d before Yanez opened fire. Castile\u2019s last words were: \u201cI wasn\u2019t reaching \u2026 \u201c<\/p>\n
Reynolds later said Castile was reaching for his wallet.<\/p>\n
In his letter, Leary broke down the multiple elements of the law that prosecutors were required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, including whether Yanez acted with gross negligence and recklessness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe state\u2019s failure to prove any of the required elements of the charge required that you, the jury, return a verdict of not guilty,\u201d Leary wrote.<\/p>\n
Leary wrote that the criticism has focused primarily on reaction to the squad car video and issues that the jury was never asked to address.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were never asked to decide whether racism continues to exist, whether certain members of our community are disproportionately affected by police tactics, or whether police training is ineffective,\u201d he said. \u201cYou were simply asked to determine, beyond a reasonable doubt, whether a crime had been committed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yanez attorney Earl Gray said he appreciated Leary\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told the jury they followed the law and did their duty,\u201d Gray said. \u201cI\u2019m sure the jurors felt better.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ramsey County Attorney\u2019s Office said in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday that it had no comment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unusual to do a letter after the fact, but there\u2019s nothing inappropriate about this letter,\u201d said local defense attorney Joe Tamburino, who was not involved in the case. \u201cI say hats off to him for doing this, because the jury received an inordinate amount of criticism. The issue was whether the state proved its case, not greater social issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
By: AP<\/p>\n
Source:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.twincities.com\/2017\/07\/04\/judge-in-minnesota-police-shooting-offers-jurors-support\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"