ST. LOUIS — The I-Team’s Christine Byers covered the trial of three St. Louis police officers accused of assaulting one of their own gavel-to-gavel as it unfolded during the last two weeks in March.
She live-tweeted every observation, tidbit of testimony and nuance she observed.
5 On Your Side has compiled her tweets to offer readers and viewers as complete of a transcript of the proceedings as possible.
The officers were indicted for their roles in a 2017 assault on a colleague, officer Luther Hall, who was working undercover as a protester to document property damage and other crimes.
The trial began with jury selection March 15.
Former officers Christopher Myers and Dustin Boone along with Officer Steven Korte were all charged with depriving Hall of his civil rights under the color of law – which carries a 10-year sentence in a federal penitentiary.
Myers also was indicted on a charge of intentionally destroying evidence and Korte was accused of lying to the FBI.
Ultimately, a jury returned a partial verdict 14 days later, which included mistrials and acquittals.
Korte and Myers were acquitted of depriving Hall of his civil rights.
The jury hung on whether Boone did so.
The jury also declared a mistrial on whether Myers intentionally destroyed Hall’s cellphone to impede an investigation.
Here’s how it unfolded, as tweeted by Christine Byers:
Trial coverage:
- Byers' Beat: More St. Louis police officers leaving the force; retrial begins Monday for 2 officers
- 2 former St. Louis officers to be retried for roles in beating of undercover colleague
- Behind the scenes of the officer Luther Hall assault trial
- No convictions in case of undercover officer beaten during 2017 protest