A Tennessee man has been awarded a new trial after an appeals court ruled that the room where the jury for his trial met led to a biased and unfair judgment against him because it was filled with Confederate memorabilia. Tim Stelloh of NBC News reported that “a Black man’s…
Tag: Trial
Iowa Man Convicted of Murdering Black Man and Leaving the Body Burning in a Ditch
Justice has been served in the small rural town of Grinnell, Iowa after a white man who killed a Black man and left his body burning in a ditch was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder. A 32-year-old man named Steven Vogel was accused of murdering Michael Williams after…
Singer R. Kelly Found Guilty on All Counts of Racketeering and Sex Trafficking, Faces Life in Prison
Twenty years after he was first hit with a litany of abuse and misconduct charges, but ultimately not convicted, R&B singer Robert Sylvester Kelly (better known as R. Kelly) has been found guilty on a similar raft of new crimes and now faces potential life in prison. Billboard’s Neena Rouhani…
Iowa Man Who Shot a Black Teen Girl Following a Pro-Trump Rally Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
An Iowa man has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for shooting a 15-year-old Black girl. The incident took place following a pro-Trump political rally he attended late last year. The Associated Press reported that “Michael McKinney, 26, of St. Charles, pleaded guilty in June to intimidation…
Darnella Frazier, Teen Who Recorded George Floyd’s Murder, Awarded Honorary Pulitzer Prize
The cellphone recording of George Floyd’s murder has not only been viewed around the world tens of thousands of times, but it also helped reignite a new wave of the Black Civil Rights Movement in the U.S., renewing calls for improved social justice and police reform across the country. And…
Derek Chauvin Found Guilty of Murdering George Floyd; President Biden Says Even More Must Be Done to Fight Systemic Racism in the US
Following global protests that drove millions out into the streets over the past year, and thanks in part to an excruciating cell phone recording of his murder that has played on a seemingly never-ending loop on many news networks, justice for George Floyd has finally been served. After just 10…
As COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Commence, Diversity Becomes a Vital Issue
As the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacts diverse communities, the need for greater diversity in vaccine trials is very evident. Black and Latinx people have been three times as likely as white people to be infected with the virus, and twice as likely to die, but they have historically made up…
Trial of Amber Guyger Continues, Questions of Preferential Treatment Arise
The trial of Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer who fatally shot Botham Jean, a 26-year-old Black man, in his own home, continues. Evidence the prosecution presented revealed Guyger was given special treatment upon her arrest. Mike Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association, told a subordinate to shut…
Trial of Amber Guyger, Former Police Officer Accused of Killing Unarmed Black Man Botham Jean in His Own Apartment, Begins
A former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger began her trial Sept. 23 for the 2018 killing of an unarmed Black man, Botham Jean, after she allegedly mistook his apartment for her own, believed he was a burglar and shot him. Guyger is white. She is claiming self-defense. A prosecutor opened…
Archived: Murder Trial for Freddie Gray Officer Begins Today
The trial involving the most serious charges filed in connection to Freddie Gray’s death begins today. Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., who drove the police wagon that transported Gray, faces charges including second-degree depraved heart murder. During pretrial motions on Monday, Goodson opted to be tried by a judge rather…