Jurors expressed shock and dismay Friday over Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson’s recommendation of a no-jail sentence for the ex-NYPD cop who killed Akai Gurley.
“What was the point of prosecuting him?” asked a 62-year-old juror who requested anonymity. “What did we do this for?”
“I agree he doesn’t deserve tremendous time,” the juror added, “but if something is wrong, you shouldn’t get a slap on the wrist.”
Former Officer Peter Liang faces up to 15 years in prison after he was convicted of manslaughter in the November 2014 slaying of Gurley, 28.
The unarmed father was mortally wounded when a bullet fired by Liang ricocheted into his chest inside a darkened stairwell at the Pink Houses in East New York.
Thompson has been under attack from Gurley’s loved ones and supporters since he sent a letter to the sentencing judge recommending Liang perform 500 hours of community service, five years’ probation and home confinement for six months.
“Wow. Is this right?” a stunned second juror said after being told about the letter by a Daily News reporter.
“That’s ridiculous.”
BROOKLYN DA KENNETH THOMPSON CALLED ‘TRAITOR’ FOR NOT SEEKING JAIL TIME FOR EX-NYPD COP PETER LIANG OVER AKAI GURLEY’S DEATH
The 62-year-old juror noted that his own father served more than seven years in prison for accidentally shooting a friend.
“You cannot put away the average person’s thoughts here just because they are police officers,” the juror said. “They deserve to be prosecuted and sentenced just like everyone else who has the same background or committed the same crime.”
The Brooklyn resident said he believes Thompson was swayed by pressure from the Asian community, which vigorously protested the charges brought against Liang.
“I think the Asian community played a lot with the DA’s decision and got to him,” the juror said.
But not all of the jurors had harsh words for Thompson.
“He is doing his job and I can’t question him,” said Carlton Screen, 69, the only African-American among the 12-person panel. “That’s how he felt and he is doing what he needs to do as a man in the position, the district attorney.”
GREENE: BROOKLYN DA NEEDS TO BE CLEAR ON AKAI GURLEY DEATH
The jurors spoke out a day after a remorseful Liang offered a face-to-face apology to Kimberly Ballinger, the mother of Gurley’s 3-year-old daughter Akaila.
Liang is slated to be sentenced on April 14.
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton praised Thompson for his “courage” in urging the judge to spare Liang a prison sentence.
“Thompson has a right to make these recommendations,” Bratton said on 1010 WINS radio.
“He is intimate with all the circumstances in this case and I applaud him for making this decision.”
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/akai-gurley-jurors-express-shock-da-request-no-jail-article-1.2578181
While the Press Release issued by the Kings County District Attorney, at least does not compound the injustice done to Peter Liang by recommending jail time, nonetheless it fails to correct the injustice created by the conviction of Peter Liang for manslaughter.
. I am pleased to see that the statement of the District Attorney contradicts the closing statement made by its prosecuting attorney in the case who told the jury that the defendant was somehow aware that a person was in the stairwell and turned and pointed his gun intentionally shooting at the victim. This gross misstatement was not based on any facts or evidence presented in the case and should have resulted in the granting of the Defense Attorney’s motion for a mistrial.
A sentencing recommendation of five years probation, with six months of home confinement and 500 hundred hours of community service leaves Peter Liang, marked as a convicted felon.
Never before has a defendant been convicted of manslaughter based upon such a lack of law or facts to justify such a conviction.
The unjust conviction came about under a unique fact pattern which brought together both Peter Liang, a rookie NYC Police Officer, teamed with another rookie NYC Police officer, and Akai Gurley, a totally innocent person using the stairways because of the lack of dependability of the building elevators, in a notoriously crime ridden and dark stairway directly resulting from the failure of the NYC Housing Authority to maintain the Pink houses in a safe and habitable state.
Since the conviction we have seen both the New York Housing Authority and the New York City Police Department scampering to correct their own internal policy failures, which bear the true cause of this tragedy. NYCHA seeks to shift blame to its workers despite evidence that the lights were out for months and not merely one half hour from the end of a workers shift. The New York Police Department seeks to blame a training officer its charges failed to adequately provide CPR training to the two rookie officers, while promising to issue a directive no longer partnering two rookie officers.
Justice can only be achieved in this case by dismissing the conviction as not supported upon law or facts or in the alternative declaring a mistrial and overturning the conviction. Any other solution simply perpetuates the injustice and results in the continued seeking a scapegoat to distract from the failure of city agencies and city officials to meet their obligations properly.
To avoid a repeat of tragic event, city government and its officials must do better to deliver services to protect and serve the people of New York City.