Acquittal contributed to kill, that the spark of protest musicians
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - In an attempt to intimidate witnesses to the extent possible, a problem, a 19-year-old man was acquitted this year of the assassination of a member of a popular band jazz by a teenager described as key witnesses not to identify themselves in court.
The massacre was one of the high-profile murders, has led to a mass protest against last year after Katrina and the eventual fall of crime District Attorney Eddie Jordan.
David Bonds guilty Thursday was not included in the death Dinerral shaver, 25, the drummer for a Hot 8 Brass Band, also learned High School Band. Shavers police had been the victim of a bullet meant for her stepson adolescents, is the result of a dispute between neighbours.
During the attempt, a juror was released after having said, the judge Wednesday, thought that himself, he would have seen Bonds weapon in hand, as a signal witnesses. A spokesman for the public prosecutor confirmed that, on Friday, after the jurors that the claim that a judge of physical activity to defend vowed to remove it and replace it with an alternate. The jury finally got an acquittal for a judgement 11-1.
Adolescence is not described as witnesses to identify the obligations of the trial period, told the court: “I do not see anybody. Do I need glasses,” said a newspaper.
A girl has more than identify the obligations of gangsters, while another said, it does not meet the actual shooting witness.
Bonds was the only suspected by the police in connection with the killing in a case was worried that sooner. Prosecutors and even declined, the fees temporarily in a point during the last year.
“Do you think the fact that this case has actually been released from the Jordanian administration, because the rotation witness said, they do not have to prove that” said Rafael Goyeneche, executive director of the Commission on the Greater Metropolitan Crime New Orleans, a watchdog group. “She said, which, if they were once again at the other witnesses who have.”
Shavers’ dead end in December 2006 and which remains pending erschlagend days later, independent filmmaker Helen Hill inspired in January 2007 in March at City Hall drew an estimated 5,000 people calling for the city to do more to save as a result of Hurricane Katrina, crime. ”
Jewelry razor, the sister of the victim, in a statement, said that the family was destroyed by the trial.
“It’s a terrible message to send to the criminals, who feel that they face in the city,” she said.
Neither Bonds’ lawyer nor prosecutors returned opinion on the application whether Bonds Friday trying to intimidate a witness.
Goyaneche not take part in the process and not whether Bonds may address tried to intimidation of witnesses. He said that the intimidation of witnesses is an issue of coverage, that local governments are difficult to treat in the key.
“It costs to one of the policemen from the Federal Security quarter of a million dollars on average, a person to protect the witness,” he said. “So far, mathematics, and do you see, it there is no territorial jurisdiction was a - any local jurisdiction - afford it.