Judge declares mistrial on Friday in the murder case involving former Ohio sheriff's deputy Jason Meade's alleged killing of Casey Goodson Jr., a Black man.
The final mistrial decision was made after the jury that was handling the case could not agree on a verdict against the defendant and Judge David Young had already twice declared a mistrial. The development ends tumultuous proceedings that saw four jurors dismissed from the case.
The former deputy was charged with murder and reckless homicide over the killing of a Black man in Columbus in December 2020. The former Ohio sheriff's deputy was said to have shot Goodson Jr. six times, including five times in the back, as the 23-year-old Black man tried to enter his grandmother's home.
Young already declared a mistrial on Friday morning but retracted the decision a few minutes later and commended the jurors for their hard work. Then, jurors came to Young again to say that they could not agree and he instructed them to keep trying, as per the Associated Press.
The judge then declared a final mistrial about two hours after that discussion, where jurors, some of whom were crying, said that they were deadlocked. Young will soon meet with prosecutors and defense lawyers in the near future to decide on how to proceed with the murder case.
An attorney for the Goodson family, Sean Walton, said that while there was indeed a mistrial, there were still jurors who clearly considered all the evidence and thought Meade was guilty. He added that some of the jurors felt that the defendant was responsible for the unjustifiable killing of Goodson Jr.
Walton added that the nearly four years since the killing have been a "rollercoaster of extremes" for the family of Goodson Jr. On the other hand, Meade's attorney, Mark Collins, expressed his gratitude for how hard the jurors worked in the case to be "as fair and impartial as possible," noting that he and his client are "ready to go," if a second trial is set.
Murder of Casey Goodson Jr.
Special prosecutors have not yet officially determined whether or not they will retry the former Ohio sheriff's deputy. However, a second trial is not without precedent as former Columbus police officer Andrew Mithcell underwent two trials before a jury acquitted him of murder and voluntary manslaughter in the August 2018 killing of 23-year-old Donna Dalton Castleberry, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
After the end of the latest trial, Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack's office issued a statement, saying that its thoughts were with Goodson's family. The statement noted that a decision to retry the case will be made by the special prosecutors after they have reviewed their case.
The all-white jury that failed to reach a verdict against Meade comprised nine women and three men. Walton addressed that issue as it pertains to the case, saying that a white former law enforcement officer and a deceased Black man.
The attorney said that a lot of people who encounter the justice system do not have a jury of their peers. He added that people cannot afford to take work off for weeks, noting that if they need childcare, there will not be a diverse jury, said ABC6.
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