Danziger Bridge Shootings Update: Judge overturns convictions, grants new trial to ex-NOLA officers

[cali]

A judge has ordered that, due to "grotesque prosecutorial misconduct", five former New Orleans police officers who had been convicted of civil rights violations in relation to the fatal shooting of two unarmed people in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina be granted a new trial.

The U.S. District judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors' "highly unusual, extensive and truly bizarre actions" warrant throwing out the convictions of Archie Kaufman, Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Robert Faulcon and Anthony Villavaso.

Four of the former officers were sentenced in April 2012 to between 38 and 65 years in prison for shooting and killing two unarmed people and wounding four others on September 4, 2005 at the Danziger Bridge. Kaufman was sentenced to six years for his role in covering up the shooting.

Attorneys for the former officers say a series of leaks to news organizations were part of a "secret public relations campaign" that deprived their clients of a fair trial. The former officers' attorneys also cited a series of anonymous online posts by senior prosecutors. Former U.S. Attorney Jim Letten resigned in December 2012 after two of his top deputies acknowledged they had been posting anonymous comments on nola.com, the Times-Picayune's companion website, about cases their office had handled, including the Danziger Bridge investigation.

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http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57603296-504083/danziger-bridge-shootings-update-judge-overturns-convictions-grants-new-trial-to-ex-nola-officers/

[hlthe2b]

1. Damn.... justice denied, once again... n/t

[Niceguy1]

5. so do you think that

The proescutorial musconduct is ok?

[hlthe2b]

6. I have seen no proof of such...

I HAVE seen proof of the guilt of these NOLA officers--some of us were watching it unfold as it occurred and reports were coming in. Yet it was covered up for years. We saw the cover-up BEGIN during the aftermath of Katrina.

[Niceguy1]

8. umm they admitted to

It ....... I don't think we should ignore this. Retry them. I

[hlthe2b]

9. That does not negate the proven guilt of these officers and the systematic attempts to cover it up.

That you are defending letting these officers who MURDERED innocents on that bridge AND promoted a racist fear-based lie regarding the risk from violent marauding gangs crossing that bridge, (that was then used to continue the abuse of those victimized by the floods) is telling.

[Niceguy1]

10. they should be retried fairly.

The right to a fair teial exists for all, not just people who are popular. Based on the evidence a conviction should be easy......

[hlthe2b]

11. That does not negate the harm of justice denied from the years of cover up...

Justice tremendously delayed and the harm that came from that cover-up has been compounded many many times.

Justice has been and continues to be denied...

[Niceguy1]

12. the retrial

Has nothing to do with that.

Proscutorial misconduct is an injustice, too. And I bet it wasn't the first time. Either.

[hlthe2b]

13. Two issues... and you seem to give no thought for the victims...

I haven't argued against the prosecutors being punished. You, on the other hand seem content with the fact these murderers go free. It does make me wonder..

[Niceguy1]

14. no, I am confident that a retrial

Would result in a conviction. It is an interesting quandary when injustices meet like this. However, we must uphold the idea of true justice for all...and not make exceptions based on the popularity of the accused.

[hlthe2b]

15. Not all judges would throw out the convictions--if the misconduct was not instrumental in

effecting a guilty verdict. That is my question here--whether sanctions-- sans overthrow of convictions-- would not have been appropriate or whether this is yet another example of bias toward and in defense of these officers. I truly hope the latter is not true, but it has been an ever-present element since the day these killings occurred.

[KamaAina]

2. Oh. My. God.

[cali]

3. no kidding. sickening.

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. That's too bad. I hope the prosecutors didn't fuck this up.

[fathom5]

7. Ok, no problem here.

Now they'll get a new trial and be convicted again.

It would seem that the evidence wasn't the problem, it was the prosecutions leaks to the media that the judge objected to.