While Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys are anxiously waiting to hear the verdict in the racially charged murder trial of former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, it looks like they'll have to wait a little bit longer because the jury deliberations are starting from scratch today.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that jurors in the high-profile murder case deliberated for more than two hours last week without reaching a verdict. Jury deliberations were supposed to resume yesterday, but were postponed because of a sick juror. Another juror is leaving on vacation today, so an alternate will be taking that juror's place and the whole process will have to start over.
Johannes Mehserle has been charged with second degree murder for allegedly killing 22-year-old Oscar Grant during an attempted arrest. Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys argue that the defendant was trying to fire his Taser at Grant but shot the man with his pistol by mistake. For this reason, criminal defense attorneys say that Johannes Mehserle should be acquitted.
The Los Angeles jurors also have the choice of convicting the defendant of voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter instead of the second degree murder charge. In addition to the severe criminal charges, Johannes Mehserle is also facing more legal trouble because a lawsuit has been filed against him by the victim's family. The family of Oscar Grant has filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against several officers that were involved in shooting.
Related Resources:
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Trial and Verdict (FindLaw)
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Police Prepare for Mehserle Jury Verdict Fallout (FindLaw's Blotter Blog)
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