Majority of jurors undecided in Slager trial

The jury in Slager’s state murder trial began deliberating after Wednesday’s closing arguments.

The Rev. Nelson B. Rivers III, with the National Action Network, speaks during a prayer vigil in front of the Charleston County Courthouse as the jury deliberates in the Michael Slager trial Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, in Charleston, S.

The jurors also asked the judge several questions, including why Slager was charged with voluntary manslaughter in addition to murder. Jurors were asked to see if the defendant was without fault, in imminent danger and had no other way out. This was a routine traffic stop for a broken taillight in North Charleston, South Carolina. After receiving more explanation of the law from Newman, however, they sent another note saying they would not reach a consensus.

The mistrial comes just days after one of the jurors proclaimed he could not in good conscience convict the ex-cop in the death of Walter Scott.

Speaking at a press conference outside the court house, Scott family attorney Chris Stewart, standing with Scott’s mother, Judy Scott, and brother, Anthony Scott, called it “a missed opportunity for justice and missed opprtunity to heal a lot of wounds in the country”.

In a separate note, the the jury’s foreman seemed to indicate the jury was locked in an 11-1 split, with only the first note-writing juror opposing a guilty verdict. They also posed numerous questions to the judge.

The jury returned their decision after a tense weekend in which Slager’s fate rested on a knife’s edge. Reports say that one juror refused to convict.

The jury’s disagreement comes at the end of Slager’s high-profile trial.

A SC judge has declared a mistrial after a jury was deadlocked in the murder trial of a white former police officer charged over the shooting death of an unarmed black motorist.

While the legitimate anxieties of police officers who risk their lives daily are due respect, when measured against the incontrovertible video evidence, Slager’s fear can only be described as emanating from a parallel universe.

Newman had allowed the jury to consider the lesser offense of manslaughter, which carries a potential sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

Circuit Judge Clifton Newman hasn’t said what questions jurors have for him before they can continue their discussions. “That’s the essence of the case”. He said he did not realize the Taser had dropped behind him when he fired. Soon enough, she said, there would be another trial against the man who shot her son.

Wilson said jurors must decide the difference between heat of passion and malice “because from a distance they can look the same”.

Newman said the new instructions were to be taken in conjunction with previous instructions and they should be treated as a whole.

Slager’s lead attorney, Andy Savage, does not appear to have made any statements to the media following today’s events.

Wilson issued her statement soon after a jury deadlocked, for the second time, on whether or not the white police officer was guilty of shooting a fleeing, unarmed man in the back, planting his Taser by Scott’s side and then claiming that he was in fear for his life. “Did Slager know that?”