Current Events > Cop who 'accidentally' shot his daughter's boyfriend has third mistrial

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http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-oklahoma-cop-mistrial-20170708-story.html

For the third time in less than a year, a jury deadlocked and a mistrial was declared in the murder case of a white former Oklahoma police officer accused of killing his daughter's black boyfriend, astonishing prosecutors and frustrating the boyfriend's family.

Judge Sharon Holmes declared the mistrial on Friday in the case of former Tulsa police officer Shannon Kepler, who was accused of fatally shooting 19-year-old Jeremey Lake in August 2014, not long after Lake started dating Kepler's then-18-year-old daughter, Lisa. Attorneys involved said the jurors deliberated for 2 ½ to three hours.

Tulsa County Dist. Atty. Steve Kunzweiler said he was shocked that a mistrial was declared after such short jury deliberations.

"I've never encountered a dynamic like this in 25 years of practice," Kunzweiler said after the mistrial was declared. "In my opinion, there should be some compulsion placed on jurors to reach a verdict."

Defense attorney Richard O'Carroll did not return a telephone message seeking comment.

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.

Kepler, who retired from the force after he was charged, was a 24-year-police veteran who said he was trying to protect his daughter, who had run away from home and was living in a crime-ridden neighborhood. Defense attorney Richard O'Carroll said Lisa had been in and out of a homeless shelter after her father prohibited her from bringing men into his house.

Kepler told investigators he was acting in self-defense because Lake was armed, but police didn't find a weapon on Lake or at the scene. Lake's aunt said her nephew was reaching out to shake Kepler's hand to introduce himself when Kepler fired.

Pam Wilkins, Lake's aunt, said his extended family is deeply frustrated by the third mistrial.

"But I'm not giving up hope," she said. "We're believing in God and justice for Jeremey."

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 declared 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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This topic will be....something.
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Well at least unlike the last troll who made it, he didn't accuse the jury of being neo nazis
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NA police lol
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Antifar posted...

Kepler told investigators he was acting in self-defense because Lake was armed, but police didn't find a weapon on Lake or at the scene. Lake's aunt said her nephew was reaching out to shake Kepler's hand to introduce himself when Kepler fired.

Kepler's a piece of shit who should be in jail.
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Racist jurors
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StarReaper13 posted...

Antifar posted...

Kepler told investigators he was acting in self-defense because Lake was armed, but police didn't find a weapon on Lake or at the scene. Lake's aunt said her nephew was reaching out to shake Kepler's hand to introduce himself when Kepler fired.

Kepler's a piece of shit who should be in jail.

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What this report leaves out is that the cop kicked her out of the house. But yeah they got to make this murderer look as best as he can.
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Maybe the fucking prosecutor could just go with the manslaughter charge, and the judge could still give him a hefty sentence.

Like it kinda seems as if the prosecutor is trying to get him out of this.
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This guy wasn't even black.
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I don't get how 11-1 / 10-2 "in favour of guilt" is a deadlock. Someone wanna explain to an outsider?
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A domestic homicide that had nothing to do with race gets treated by the left wing media as a hate crime. Shades of Michael Dunn.
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the4got10-1 posted...

I don't get how 11-1 / 10-2 is a deadlock. Someone wanna explain to an outsider?

Decision has to be unanimous. If say one or two jurors are paid a hefty some and/or are racist/biased, they can hold out, refuse to change their mind and cause a miss trial.
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itachi15243 posted...

the4got10-1 posted...

I don't get how 11-1 / 10-2 is a deadlock. Someone wanna explain to an outsider?

Decision has to be unanimous. If say one or two jurors are paid a hefty some and/or are racist/biased, they can hold out, refuse to change their mind and cause a miss trial.

Correct. The movie "12 Angry Men" is completely about that.

"In my opinion, there should be some compulsion placed on jurors to reach a verdict."

Hahahahahahahahaha.

No.

Sorry, Mr District Attorney from Oklahoma, you cannot force a jury to vote one way or another. That isn't how the law works in this country. Maybe if your case had more evidence or you didn't over charge the guy, parts of your jury wouldn't have the reasonable doubt they need to vote not guilty.

Or next time, don't suck so hard during voir dire. You know, that thing good lawyers use to eliminate biased jurists. That thing that first year law students can do perfectly after having not slept for days.

I don't know(or even really care) if that cop is guilty or not. I do know, however, that that lawyer is garbage and basically said "we need to change the law because I don't like losing".

Fucking shitbag.
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I feel like we're missing some information here. What's the reason the juries are having such a hard time coming to a conclusion
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People around here know the cop in question. They call him "Trigger" because he was notorious for pulling out his weapon during routine traffic stops. The guy was a little too trigger-happy.
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