Jurors in Slager trial ask for transcripts of key witnesses
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Jurors deliberating in the trial of a fired policeman charged with murder in the shooting death of a black motorist asked for transcripts Thursday of the testimony of the former officer and the lead state investigator in the case.
Michael Slager, 35, is charged in the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott, who was shot five times in the back on April 4, 2015 as he fled a traffic stop. A bystander's cellphone video of the shooting was shared widely on the internet and by media and shocked Americans.
By late afternoon, the jury of one black and 11 whites had deliberated more than seven hours over two days.
Judge Clifton Newman called attorneys to the courtroom in the afternoon, saying the jurors had requested transcripts of the trial testimony of the 35-year-old Slager as well as that of Angela Peterson, the lead South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agent who investigated the shooting.
Attorneys did not object to the request.
Jurors heard testimony from 55 witnesses during the monthlong trial. Newman told the jury before they started discussions late Wednesday that they could consider a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
To convict Slager of murder, the jury would have to be convinced he had malice toward Scott. A murder conviction would carry a penalty of 30 years to life. Under the law, manslaughter is a killing done in the heat of passion after someone is provoked. It carries a sentence of two to 30 years imprisonment.
Scott ran from his car into a vacant lot after Slager pulled him over for a broken taillight. Slager testified that he chased him down, but Scott refused to be subdued and tried to run away again.
During closing arguments Wednesday, defense attorney Andy Savage argued that the brief video doesn't tell the whole story of how Slager yelled at Scott to stop and fired his stun gun three times.
The defense contends that Slager only fired his gun because he feared for his life after Scott wrestled away the officer's Taser.
Prosecutor Scarlett Wilson urged jurors to ignore defense attempts to distract them from what they can see with their own eyes on the video. She also pulled up evidence photos showing Slager with his radio and earpiece still in place after the shooting.
"That is not the sign of a violent, throw-down, life-threatening fight," she said.