 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Press Releases R2K LEGAL COLLECTIVE PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 6, 2001 CONTACT: Kris Hermes, R2K Legal Collective (215) 925-6791; Shawn Nolan, Defender Association (215) 557-4995 http://www.r2klegal.org RNC PROTEST DEFENDANT ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES -- INCLUDING AGGRAVATED ASSAULT Matt Musselwhite, an elementary school teacher from Tucson, Arizona, was cleared of all charges today by a Philadelphia jury despite testimony by three police officers. Musselwhite's original charges included Attempted Murder and Aggravated Assault. (Philadelphia, PA) Felony defendant Matthew Musselwhite, who was arrested during the Republican National Convention (RNC) protests last summer, was cleared of all charges today. Musselwhite was accused last August of attempted murder and aggravated assault against Philadelphia police officer John Livingston. The charge of attempted murder was dropped at an earlier proceeding, and this week's trial concerned the charge of Aggravated Assault and Obstruction of Justice. The jury deliberated for less than thirty minutes before deciding to acquit Musselwhite of all charges. Musselwhite was defended by Shawn Nolan of the Philadelphia Defender Association. Common Pleas Court Judge James A. Lineberger presided over the trial. Because the prosecution's case was fraught with so many inconsistencies, the defense rested without putting on any witnesses, saying to the jury in closing arguments, "The prosecution has made our case for us." Musselwhite, a 25-year old school teacher from Tucson, Arizona, was accused of attempting to throw a Philadelphia Police Officer in front of a moving car. Police reports claimed that the police officer sustained a fractured elbow from being pushed to the ground. After Musselwhite was released from jail last summer on misdemeanors, officials decided to increase his charges to include attempted murder and two violent felony counts. When Musselwhite arrived home, he discovered that his charges had been changed. The Philadelphia police, working with other law enforcement agencies, initiated a nationwide 'manhunt' for Musselwhite, harassing his relatives with stories that he was a "terrorist." While staying in Ashland, Oregon last summer, Musselwhite continued to be harassed by law enforcement. Local Ashland police published newspaper ads seeking to detain Musselwhite, claiming he was "armed and dangerous." When Musselwhite voluntarily returned to Philadelphia to face new charges, the District Attorney dropped the charge of attempted murder. Over 95% of the cases from the Republican Convention Protests have resulted in acquittals. Forty-three protesters were originally charged with felonies, and all but four of these cases have now been resolved. None of the RNC protest defendants have been convicted of felonies at trial. In one recent felony trial, Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney testified in an attempt to convict an activist of attacking a police officer. The jury in that case acquitted the defendant of all charges. In another case, Timoney has claimed that three young men assaulted him and another officer. Common Please Court Judge Pamela Dembe threw out many of their felonies in preliminary hearings, ruling that the charges were excessive. The District Attorney has appealed that ruling in Pennsylvania Superior Court -- pushing off a trial for at least a year. Over three hundred people arrested during the RNC were charged with misdemeanors. A majority of those defendants rejected plea bargains and proceeded to trial in order to bring to light the police misconduct that surrounded the arrests. The resulting acquittals have given credence to protesters' claims of widespread police misconduct during the RNC arrests. --030-- |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fair Use Notice of copyrighted material contained in this website.