Alabama Man Who Waited 10 Years for Trial Is Found Guilty

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times


By SERGE F. KOVALESKI
SEPT. 22, 2017

DOTHAN, Ala. — Kharon Davis spent a decade in jail awaiting trial. On Friday, a jury in this southern Alabama town deliberated less than three hours before finding him guilty in the fatal shooting of Peter Dwayne Reaves.

Mr. Davis’s case had attracted national attention because of the extreme length of his incarceration while he was still presumed innocent. His trial was delayed multiple times because of misplaced evidence, conflicts of interest and his own dissatisfaction with successive teams of lawyers.

Mr. Davis, 33, is black, but the jury was all white, in a county with a long history of striking blacks from juries. Jury selection took place on Monday and Tuesday, and Mr. Davis’s lawyers complained to the judge about the racial makeup of the jury, unsuccessfully arguing that a new pool be assembled.

Mr. Davis was one of three men charged in Mr. Reaves’s death. One of the others, Lorenzo Stacey, was acquitted. The third, Kevin Bernard McCloud, took a plea bargain in which he agreed to plead guilty and testify against Mr. Davis, a childhood friend, if prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. He is serving a 99-year sentence.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/us/alabama-kharon-davis-guilty.html

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. 10 years?

Isn't there something in our legal system, maybe even in the Constitution about speedy justice? I don't care how guilty that man is. He should have had his trial nine years ago.

Lawyers have almost no sense of getting something done in a timely matter. They're happy to delay things for years. However, if they are on a flight that is 20 minutes late, oh, lord! And I'm speaking as a former airline ticket agent at Washington National Airport.

[Warpy]

3. Civil rights case should be very interesting

since this was a clear violation of his right to a speedy trial. Judicial bungling is no excuse.

While I'd hate to see a killer turned loose, I wouldn't want to see this sort of misconduct stand, ever.

[atreides1]

5. What Civil Rights case?

You're talking about the Sessions DOJ!

Here's what will happen: The DOJ will investigate and determine that there were no civil rights violations!

Sessions is remaking the DOJ in is own racist image and there is nothing we the people can do about it...

[heaven05]

8. who said he was guilty?

the one who was trying to save his own hide? The jury of his 'peers'? Who???????

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. The OP noted that he was found guilty.

While juries can get thing wrong, I was simply repeating that back.

[iluvtennis]

2. All white jury, what happened to a jury of one's peers? nt

[Warpy]

4. Peers are one's fellow citizens

We're all colorblind now, dontcha know?

For the humor impaired, this is

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. Well, sure! He wouldn't have been in jail if he weren't guilty, right?

[heaven05]

7. what a sad and tragic joke

people in this country have made out of race, gender and white male/female supremacy. Racism is so uneccessary....black people DO NOT hold a monopoly on crime of any type. Hell, one of the white race, is a grifter, con man, sexual predator, racist, I could go on ad infinitum, and he is potus...fuck racism....a stupid waste of human potential.

[iluvtennis]

9. +1000 nt