ST. LOUIS — The jury decision will have to wait another day in the trial of two former St. Louis police officers who were accused of participating in the assault of a fellow officer.
The jury did not come to a decision Wednesday and Judge E. Richard Webber said they would resume deliberations Thursday at 9 a.m.
The jury began its deliberations at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday and sent a note requesting all of the evidence and exhibits within its first 20 minutes of meeting.
Three other notes followed throughout the day, including one asking for a transcript of the testimony a photographer gave regarding photos he took for The St. Louis American that captured some of the assault and the moments leading to it. Judge E. Richard Webber couldn’t provide that transcript, but the parties agreed to send in hard copies of the photos instead.
The jury also asked for a copy of the prosecution’s PowerPoint, which was shown during closing arguments to summarize racist and vulgar texts Boone sent to family and friends. Webber said he could not provide that PowerPoint because it was not part of the evidence.
Federal prosecutors balked when the all-white jury was first seated, saying this case has racial undertones to it.
Hall is Black. Myers and Boone are white.
But defense attorneys successfully argued they had race-neutral reasons to dismiss the only Black man who made it to the final jury pool.
This is the second time these officers went on trial for this assault and the second time an all-white jury was seated to decide their fate.
Following a two-week trial, a jury acquitted Myers of the deprivation of civil rights charge in March, but hung on whether he destroyed the phone to impede an investigation.
The jury hung on whether Boone deprived Hall of his civil rights.
Federal prosecutors argued Hall’s cellphone video captured Myers striking the phone with an asp — which is a type of police baton — and text messages Boone sent to family and friends showed he is a racist, who admitted to assaulting other people he had arrested and talked about his desire to assault protesters.
He also sent a lengthy text message to Hall apologizing for his conduct.
Retrial coverage:
- Jury begins deliberations in beating of undercover St. Louis officer
- Prosecution rests in 2nd trial of officers accused of assaulting Black colleague by again focusing on texts
- 'I was shocked by his admission': St. Louis officer recalls conversation with fellow accused of assaulting undercover colleague
- Testimony gets testy, emotional on 4th day of trial for St. Louis officers accused of assaulting Black colleague
- All-white jury seated for trial involving assault of Black St. Louis police officer by white colleagues