Mistrial Request Denied In Cop Corruption Trial
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Mistrial Request Denied In Cop Corruption Trial
Mistrial Request Denied In Cop Corruption Trial MIAMI -- A defense request for a mistrial in the case of 11 Miami cops was denied Wednesday.
The officers are under indictment for various offenses, including throwing down weapons at police shootings to justify their actions.
Defense attorneys called for an end to the six-week trial because they said that a witness had unfairly prejudiced jurors by saying that police had beaten one of his relatives.
The witness, Carlos Diaz, a convicted drug dealer, was on the stand to testify for the prosecution about a gun he said was taken from his home during a raid.
While testifying, Diaz said that his brother-in-law was in pain and had been beaten when he saw him during a drug raid at Diaz's house five months earlier.
The prosecutor said Diaz made a spontaneous comment and U.S. District Judge Alan Gold agreed. Gold determined that there was no "bad faith by prosecutors."
Diaz testified that two guns disappeared from his home during the raid. He said he saw an officer with one of them at the police station but could not identify the officer.
Prosecutors say Diaz's gun was later planted by Miami officers after a police shooting in 1996.
The officers are under indictment for various offenses, including throwing down weapons at police shootings to justify their actions.
Defense attorneys called for an end to the six-week trial because they said that a witness had unfairly prejudiced jurors by saying that police had beaten one of his relatives.
The witness, Carlos Diaz, a convicted drug dealer, was on the stand to testify for the prosecution about a gun he said was taken from his home during a raid.
While testifying, Diaz said that his brother-in-law was in pain and had been beaten when he saw him during a drug raid at Diaz's house five months earlier.
The prosecutor said Diaz made a spontaneous comment and U.S. District Judge Alan Gold agreed. Gold determined that there was no "bad faith by prosecutors."
Diaz testified that two guns disappeared from his home during the raid. He said he saw an officer with one of them at the police station but could not identify the officer.
Prosecutors say Diaz's gun was later planted by Miami officers after a police shooting in 1996.