Border agent not guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Mexican boy's death
Source: Associated Press
An Arizona jury has acquitted a US border patrol agent of manslaughter in the shooting of a 16-year old Mexican boy José Antonio Elena Rodríguez through a border fence, another loss for federal prosecutors in the second trial over the 2012 killing.
Jurors in Tucson found Lonnie Swartz not guilty of the involuntary manslaughter but didnt come to a decision on voluntary manslaughter.
The verdict comes months after Swartz was acquitted of second-degree murder by another jury that had deadlocked on manslaughter charges, allowing prosecutors to pursue the case again.
We fully respect the jurys decision, and we thank every member of the jury for the time and attention given to this trial, Elizabeth A Strange, first assistant US attorney for the district of Arizona, said in a statement. This was a difficult case, and I commend the trial team and law enforcement officers who assisted in the prosecution.
-snip-
Associated Press in Phoenix
Wed 21 Nov 2018 21.33 GMT
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/21/border-patrol-agent-not-guilty-involuntary-manslaughter-mexican-boys-death
JI7
(89,264 posts)4du
(56 posts)A jury found him innocent. If you believe in our system, justice was done. If not please explain what is the problem.
atreides1
(16,093 posts)The system has always been flawed, innocent people go to prison, guilty people go free!
angrychair
(8,733 posts)Just one of two he has been charged with.
That said he shot a child...
who was standing in Mexico...
10 times...
In the back and head.
A hearing of this nature, given these basic concepts, in a very right-leaning state with a known racial bias, is hardly justice.
All across the country, our jails are filled with people that are innocent of the crimes they were convicted on.
Juries have racial bias, especially in certain areas of the country.
Being found not guilty doesnt make him innocent.
Again,he shot a foreign national, while he was in his own country, from the US in the back, 10 times.
Throughout history, especially in the US, there has been a lot of things were justified as being legal but everyone knew that was just cover to be racist and bigoted assholes.
4du
(56 posts)There may be injustices, but what system will work any better
angrychair
(8,733 posts)Its the members of that jury.
Its the prosecutors.
Its the police.
There is no simple answer. You can fix systems but unfortunately you cant people.
oneshooter
(8,614 posts)It is quite simple, you are guilty until and unless you can prove yourself innocent. The guilty stay in jail, and the innocent get out.
Napoleonic justice, I believe it is called.
Haggis for Breakfast
(6,831 posts)Does ANYONE think this would not have resulted in a full-blown International Crisis ?
We have allowed attorneys to "stack" juries. It is disgusting.
LogicFirst
(572 posts)The jury must have heard a lot of evidence which the news outlets did not repot to us.