Justice appears to have been delayed once more.
On Tuesday a judge decided to postpone the retrial of former North Charleston, S.C., Police Officer Michael Slager, who is facing murder charges in the shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott during a 2015 traffic stop, Reuters reports. The trial is now expected to be delayed until Aug. 28.
As Reuters notes, Slager was expected to stand trial again March 1 after his last trial ended in a hung jury Dec. 5. Defense attorneys requested a delay, citing concerns about the availability of a key witness. Defense attorneys are also prepping for Slager’s federal trial, in which he is accused of civil rights violations in the shooting. That case is scheduled to begin jury selection in U.S. District Court in Charleston on May 1.
Slager is free on bail while charges are pending, Reuters reports.
According to the newswire, Scott’s family, who were in attendance at Tuesday’s hearing, did not object to the delay.
Read more at Reuters.
DISCUSSION
If the prosecution doesn’t get their entire shit together and select a jury that can secure a conviction...
Also, why does it fall on a local jurisdiction to prosecute a federal level case?