News (Media Awareness Project) - US CA: LA Police Officers' Convictions Overturned |
| Title: | US CA: LA Police Officers' Convictions Overturned |
| Published On: | 2000-12-24 |
| Source: | Washington Post (DC) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-02 08:03:46 |
L.A. POLICE OFFICERS' CONVICTIONS OVERTURNED
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 23 (AP) -- Three police officers found guilty of
corruption in the worst scandal in department history had their convictions
tossed out by a judge who said the courts shouldn't remedy the scandal with
an unfair verdict.
In a ruling obtained late Friday, Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Connor
said jurors disclosed in post-trial statements that they had focused on an
issue that was never raised in the trial.
Connor overturned the convictions of Los Angeles Police Department Sgts.
Edward Ortiz and Brian Liddy, and Officer Michael Buchanan, who were
convicted last month of conspiracy and other charges involving framing gang
members.
"While recognizing the enormous pressure on the community, on the police
force, on the district attorney's office, and on the courts to 'fix' the
Rampart scandal, this court is only interested in evaluating the fairness
of the proceedings and determining whether justice was done in this case,"
Connor said in her 18-page ruling.
The officers were the first members of the now-defunct Rampart station
anti-gang unit to be tried on charges based on the allegations of
ex-officer Rafael Perez, who said police beat, robbed, framed and sometimes
shot innocent people in the city's tough Rampart neighborhood near downtown.
The ruling reversed the convictions on the basis of jurors discussing the
wrong issue and failing to decide a key question -- whether two policemen
were struck by a vehicle driven by a gang member.
Instead of discussing whether the accident occurred, Connor said the jurors
focused on whether any of the injuries rose to the level of "great bodily
injury."
"While the court cannot and will not presume to guess whether a correction
of the errors would result in any different verdict, it most certainly
concludes that the verdict in this case cannot stand," Connor said.
Defense attorneys said they were elated and hoped the reversals would mark
an end to the case. The next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16, when a
new trial could be scheduled.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 23 (AP) -- Three police officers found guilty of
corruption in the worst scandal in department history had their convictions
tossed out by a judge who said the courts shouldn't remedy the scandal with
an unfair verdict.
In a ruling obtained late Friday, Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Connor
said jurors disclosed in post-trial statements that they had focused on an
issue that was never raised in the trial.
Connor overturned the convictions of Los Angeles Police Department Sgts.
Edward Ortiz and Brian Liddy, and Officer Michael Buchanan, who were
convicted last month of conspiracy and other charges involving framing gang
members.
"While recognizing the enormous pressure on the community, on the police
force, on the district attorney's office, and on the courts to 'fix' the
Rampart scandal, this court is only interested in evaluating the fairness
of the proceedings and determining whether justice was done in this case,"
Connor said in her 18-page ruling.
The officers were the first members of the now-defunct Rampart station
anti-gang unit to be tried on charges based on the allegations of
ex-officer Rafael Perez, who said police beat, robbed, framed and sometimes
shot innocent people in the city's tough Rampart neighborhood near downtown.
The ruling reversed the convictions on the basis of jurors discussing the
wrong issue and failing to decide a key question -- whether two policemen
were struck by a vehicle driven by a gang member.
Instead of discussing whether the accident occurred, Connor said the jurors
focused on whether any of the injuries rose to the level of "great bodily
injury."
"While the court cannot and will not presume to guess whether a correction
of the errors would result in any different verdict, it most certainly
concludes that the verdict in this case cannot stand," Connor said.
Defense attorneys said they were elated and hoped the reversals would mark
an end to the case. The next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16, when a
new trial could be scheduled.
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