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Third mistrial in for police officer that murdered his daughter's black boyfriend

UberTag

UberTag

Member
Fantastical said:
Wow, I'm not sure how I haven't heard about this. That is awful... what other evidence does the jury need?
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If a black cop killed a white kid, I'm sure they'd have plenty.

Perhaps your justice system needs to hold trials without identifying the race of either the perpetrators or the victims to the assigned jury and see how results differ.
 
F

Frozenprince

Banned
I'll continue to say it. Juries are universally idiots, cops have universal license to kill no questions asked, and INSURMOUNTABLE EVIDENCE including physical evidence, video, and witness testimony that hasn't changed one iota which juries eat up with a fucking spoon still wasn't enough.

He probably could have recorded him standing over Lake while he was in his death rattles while shouting "I HATE DARKIES, KILL ALL NIGGERS!" and would still be acquitted and reinstated as a police officer.
 
N

Nepenthe

Member
Can we stop arguing about whether or not the institution of American policing and juries' seeming inhibitions over convicting dangerous cops is racist? You literally can't argue this.
 
V

VariantX

Member
Insanity. This isnt even about the evidence at this point, just people on a jury who wont apply the rule of law to an officer who murdered someone. People have gotten convicted on infinitely less evidence.
 
G

Gordon Shumway

Banned
Cow Mengde said:
The issue seems very black and white if you ask me. The shooter is white, and the victim is black.
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giphy.gif
 
G

GoldenEye 007

Member
What's scary is that in the 1960s, there was a better chance of the feds picking this case up (because jurors were klansmen), charging the cop and convicting him of a crime of deprivation of civil rights under the color of law - good for a 10yr minimum sentence, than there is now under the Sessions DoJ.

Once again - open season on blacks. And for this one for a black man dating a white woman.

Fuck Oklahoma. Fuck Tulsa. Fuck those Jurors. and FUCK THOSE POLICE.
 
D

Derwind

Member
Whats the point of the song & dance that this justice system goes through when we always know the answer. Don't get caught doing anything while black. Definitely, don't be young & in love while black because you will be murdered and there will be no justice headed your way.

Part of me doesn't want to have kids because I don't want to have to give that talk.
 
U

UltraJay

Member
I don't understand why these jury decisions need to be unanimous when SC decisions don't. I'm not even talking say, a 7-5 split that is barely a majority but the previous trials in this case, 11-1 and 10-2 where there is an overwhelming majority. Why can a single holdout hold up the entire case in a democracy? I know sometimes there is a need to protect the minority but in cases like this the judge should be able to make a final decision.
 
C

ChainedMaster

Banned
UltraJay said:
I don't understand why these jury decisions need to be unanimous when SC decisions don't. I'm not even talking say, a 7-5 split that is barely a majority but the previous trials in this case, 11-1 and 10-2 where there is an overwhelming majority. Why can a single holdout hold up the entire case in a democracy? I know sometimes there is a need to protect the minority but in cases like this the judge should be able to make a final decision.
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Because it's better to let a guilty guy go free than convict an innocent. You do realize jury nullification was used to block the convictions of fugitive slaves, right? A single juror could prevent the conviction of a runaway slave.
 
C

ChainedMaster

Banned
Also posting a small update

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/cour...cle_3e0e5205-2a4f-591d-936c-4e3ad5297e5a.html

A judge will consider whether to hold former Tulsa Police Officer Shannon Kepler in contempt for telling a jury information that the judge had ruled couldn’t be mentioned in his first-degree murder trial.

During lengthy cross-examination by Assistant District Attorney Kevin Gray, Kepler told him, “You have Jeremey’s gun. I saw a picture of it in a trash can,” prompting District Judge Sharon Holmes to pause his testimony abruptly. She conferred with attorneys before emphasizing to jurors that they should disregard the statement.

Police had found a handgun in a police interview room trash can the day after interviewing witnesses about the shooting. Kepler has alleged that the gun is the weapon he claims to have seen Lake carrying, but pretrial arguments revealed that the firearm has no fingerprints that could be traced to Lake or any witness in the case. Because it could not be tied to the case, Holmes had barred Kepler’s attorneys from discussing it in front of the jury.
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The piece of shit cop illegally brought up evidence claiming a gun was the victim's. There is no evidence that it was his so it had been prevented from being mentioned. Not sure what came of this.
 
Moff

Moff

Member
I was watching the OJ simpson tv show on netflix lately and its depressing how much of US "justice" boils down to the race of the jury.
It seems absolutely obvious the police officer in this case straight up murdered this black man and the jury refuses condemn him because they are white.

My first tought was this system might need an overhaul, but then it would likely have been other white people in the system to save this killer.
 
Mohonky

Mohonky

Member
Moff said:
I was watching the OJ simpson tv show on netflix lately and its depressing how much of US "justice" boils down to the race of the jury.
It seems absolutely obvious the police officer in this case straight up murdered this black man and the jury refuses condemn him because they are white.

My first tought was this system might need an overhaul, but then it would likely have been other white people in the system to save this killer.
Click to expand...

Question is how do you reform it?
 
M

Matrix XII

Member
Reading articles like this angers and depresses me. It angers me this actually happened and that racism is still such a cancer to society.

Why do juries even care what colour the perp is? What difference is it to them if this white cop gets off? I suppose that's racism in itself. But it's just so sad and depressing.
 
M

Miles Quaritch

Member
The look on his face in the article says it all. He knows he going to get away with murder, he doesn't give a fuck and he wants everyone to know it.
 
S

Shauni

Member
Matrix XII said:
Reading articles like this angers and depresses me. It angers me this actually happened and that racism is still such a cancer to society.

Why do juries even care what colour the perp is? What difference is it to them if this white cop gets off? I suppose that's racism in itself. But it's just so sad and depressing.
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Racism has a lot to do with it, of course, but there's also this near deification of police that America has. It ties into the racism aspect, too, though
 
P

Peace Tea

Member
That facebook relationship-status jpg still fucks with my feelings.

Had no idea dude was a cop until seeing this article op.
 
J

JettDash

Junior Member
This does prove that some people are hopelessly racist. But given that it was 1-2 holdouts it isn't even most people.

The DA should just keep trying this piece of crap until he is convicted.
 
C

cameron

Member
Any point in a fourth trial? The message is quite clear. The first trial was the best chance.

Other bits, CBS News:
"It's a six-six mistrial," Kepler's attorney Richard O'Carroll told KOTV "And these jurors specifically told the court and the state and the defense that they needed more evidence."

O'Carroll said he is prepared to defend Kepler five more times.

Holmes had instructed jurors that they could convict Kepler of first-degree murder or the lesser charge of manslaughter. Manslaughter carries a sentence of four years to life in prison, while the sentence on a first-degree murder conviction is life in prison.

The jury deadlocked 6-6, but Kunzweiler said it was unclear if the breakdown was six for conviction and six for acquittal or six for murder and six for the lesser charge of manslaughter.
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Jurors in Kepler's previous two trials, in November and February, deadlocked 11-1 and 10-2 in favor of guilt and Judge Sharon Holmes was forced to declare mistrials. Although they couldn't agree on the murder charge, jurors in the first trial convicted Kepler of recklessly using his firearm.

Lake's killing was among a series of fatal shootings of black people by Tulsa-area law enforcement officers in recent years.
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KJRH:
TULSA -- Shannon Kepler’s third murder trial was declared a mistrial after just over three hours of deliberation.
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Kunzweiler said he is going to explore all options in the case. He did not indicate if it would be tried a fourth time or if Judge Holmes would preside.

He said in his 25 years as a prosecutor he has never seen a jury say they could not reach a verdict so quickly.
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~3 hours of deliberation before giving up. Couldn't even bother to at least try for manslaughter.
 
J

JettDash

Junior Member
cameron said:
Any point in a fourth trial? The message is quite clear. The first trial was the best chance.
Click to expand...

Screw up the guy's life as much as possible by having him on trial indefinitely? Perhaps one of the times they will get lucky and get a conviction?
 
M

Miles Quaritch

Member
What more evidence could they possibly need?

Everyone, including his daughter confirmed the chain of events, do they really need footage of every single beat to convict?
 
J

JettDash

Junior Member
I'm curious how much of this is racism and how much is just an authoritarian deference to cops. Like would the cop have been convicted if he was black? Probably but I'm not sure.
 
T

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Maybe I just don't get it because I'm not white, but what is it about black people that white people just hate so much? I really cannot get my head around it.
 
K

KuroNeeko

Member
Try him again.

thetrin said:
Maybe I just don't get it because I'm not white, but what is it about black people that white people just hate so much? I really cannot get my head around it.
Click to expand...

I have white skin and I asked my other white-skinned friend this same question today (still waiting for an answer).

I honestly don't know. I grew up first in a religious household and then later a secular one. I was bullied by kids of all races, but mostly because of my big mouth. I went to school with people of all colors. I dormed with people of all colors. I mean, I had a few people I knew who were mean towards others--mostly black people by using the "n-word", but I never felt like anything was amiss in my own environment. I just assumed that people using the n-word were raised in close-minded homes. I guess in retrospect that's part of "white privilege"? I mean, I never had to experience what it was like being non-white, unlike non-whites who had to grow up with it. I feel like there's a certain amount of ignorance involved--ignorance at the everyday experience of non-whites, but it never felt like maliciousness.

The closest to "trouble" I ever had with a black roommate was that I didn't see him and his girl in bed when I came back to our room and stripped for the shower...(the laughter gave it away).

I don't get it. Why?

I live in Japan now. I have for the past 16 years or so and have children of mixed race now. I don't know if I want to take them back to the States where suddenly they're going to be treated as something other than equal human beings.
 
M

Miles Quaritch

Member
thetrin said:
Maybe I just don't get it because I'm not white, but what is it about black people that white people just hate so much? I really cannot get my head around it.
Click to expand...

Watch 13th if you haven't already.

It's a good history lesson for how black people have been demonised since they were freed from slavery.
 
1

1.21Gigawatts

Banned
So whats the argument for "not guilty" here?
They guys came to the unarmed victims house with a gun and defend himself?

What argument did the defense make?
 
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