Jury acquits fired Milwaukee cop in suspect's beating...

[phill4paul]

A fired Milwaukee police detective was acquitted Friday of charges he unlawfully beat a handcuffed suspect during a 2013 interrogation.

Rodolfo Gomez Jr., whose trial began Monday, had been facing felony charges of misconduct in public office and abuse of a prisoner. The jury of eight women and four men deliberated more than six hours Friday before returning two not guilty verdicts.

Gomez, 48, was charged after video showed him punching and kicking Deron Love during an August 2013 interview at police headquarters. Gomez was then fired from the department and applied for duty disability retirement.

Love was a suspect in the death of his infant son and had already been interviewed for a couple hours by two detectives during the day shift on Aug. 14, 2013. Gomez, working the second shift, took another run at obtaining a confession.

Gomez testified that he knew going into the interview that Love had a background of spitting at officers, had become upset at the end of the last interview, and had texted a family member that he would go on "a killing spree" if he was accused of his son's death.

That's why Gomez said he chained Love's arm to the wall, something he'd only done three or four times in the more than 500 interrogations he's done. He said he didn't ask for a second detective's presence because the shift was understaffed.

After about two minutes of talking to Love, who was largely unresponsive, Gomez stands and gets closer to Love and tells him, yes, police believe he killed his son.

Love responds that if that's the case he doesn't want to talk anymore. Gomez then tells Love police can just let him sit before a jury like "a coldblooded animal."

Love jumps to his feet, starts to yell in Gomez's face and raises his free hand, and Gomez attacks. Love doesn't punch or kick back and repeatedly said, "Stop hitting me, man. Why you hitting me?" He was not seriously injured.

Gomez testified that he forgot that Love was chained to the wall.

Prosecutors say Gomez's remark was intended to provoke Love. Gomez claimed he was "shocked" by Love's reaction and all his actions were merely to control Love and protect himself.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern told jurors in closing arguments that Gomez should have simply backed away, and even if he felt he couldn't when Love first stood up, he easily could have after his first roundhouse punch to Love's face staggered the prisoner backward.

Gomez's attorney, Michael Steinle, emphasized that if Gomez had a good faith belief that his life was in danger, even if he was factually mistaken, he was authorized to use force to defend himself.

Steinle stressed Love's threat of a "killing spree" and suggested he remains so "out of control" that prosecutors didn't want to risk bringing him into court as a witness against Gomez.

Michael Crivello, president of the Milwaukee Police Association, said Gomez should never have been charged.

"Officers that keep us safe, often at their own peril, deserve an expectation that MPD command, the District Attorney's Office, and the community will support them. Fortunately today the community was there to declare their support."

Love was ultimately charged with reckless homicide and child abuse causing death of his infant son, but a jury found him not guilty. He sued Gomez in October.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/...spect-beating-case-b99444390z1-291897721.html

 

[SeanTX]

As someone here often says "justice will not be found in THEIR courts." There's pretty much only option for true justice left, which is why they are scrambling to pass laws to hide police officer's identities from the public.

 

[aGameOfThrones]

Jury of His Peers.

 

[angelatc]

where do they find these juries?

 

[tod evans]

Kop;

 

[specsaregood]

..

 

[phill4paul]

Have you ever been selected for a jury? Everytime Ive shown up, I've been dismissed and sent home.

Funny that. Me too.

 

[angelatc]

Have you ever been selected for a jury? Everytime Ive shown up, I've been dismissed and sent home.

I have never been summoned. I have read up on how and why they disqualify people, hoping to slip under the radar, but I have not yet had the opportunity. To hear him tell it though, my husband single-handedly turned the jury he sat on into a "not guilty" in a DUI case he sat on. The guy didn't take the Breathalyzer, and the jury was set to convict him, but DH kept pointing out that they really had no evidence.

After the trial was over, the judge and the prosecutor angrily came down to the jury room to find out why they "let this guy off."

 

[SeanTX]

Have you ever been selected for a jury? Everytime Ive shown up, I've been dismissed and sent home.

Not to derail the thread, but I've received a summons to report for federal jury duty in March. Has anybody here had an experience with that ?

I served on the country grand jury here a few years ago, and that experience has pretty much made me not want to serve ever again. A month of watching all the other jurors just mindlessly go along with what the police and asst. DAs were feeding them, with any attempts to really discuss things going nowhere -- it was really quite frustrating.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Not to derail the thread, but I've received a summons to report for federal jury duty in March. Has anybody here had an experience with that ?

I served on the country grand jury here a few years ago, and that experience has pretty much made me not want to serve ever again. A month of watching all the other jurors just mindlessly go along with what the police and asst. DAs were feeding them, with any attempts to really discuss things going nowhere -- it was really quite frustrating.

If time and finances permit, by all means do it.

 

[Anti Federalist]

After the trial was over, the judge and the prosecutor angrily came down to the jury room to find out why they "let this guy off."

Oh man, does this sort thing chap the system's ass or what?

Of course, it's no surprise that theye are doing theire level best to eliminate the whole concept of juries.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Jury of His Peers.

Yup, this^^