California murder convictions overturned because juror who supported Black Lives Matter was removed from office

The murder convictions of three Californian men were overturned because a juror who had connections to Black Lives Matter was removed from the case.

The three men were convicted in 2016 of the murders of a couple in 2012, but an appeals court ruled that the district attorney in the case had asked “inappropriate” questions of a 25-year-old black juror who had been removed from his post.

They specifically cited issues related to women’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

California’s First Appeals District said in a unanimous decision on Friday that the district attorney acted in a discriminatory manner.

“Given the prosecutor’s inappropriate questions on Black Lives Matter, the lack of clear and legitimate non-discriminatory reasons to bar Juror 275, and evidence of at least some historical discrimination on the part of the prosecutor and other prosecutors from his office, the court’s conclusion that the defendants had failed to establish a prima facie case of discrimination lacked substantial evidence, ”Justice Jim Humes said in the 70-page decision.

Humes later said in the ruling that further racism charges against the district attorney’s office changed the court’s opinion.

“In addition, there was evidence that the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office in general, and this prosecutor in particular, had in the past exercised peremptory challenges on the basis of race,” he wrote. .

The three men, all black, were found guilty of shooting dead Christopher Zinn, 24, and his girlfriend, Brieanna Dow, 21. Their bodies were found in Antioch in October 2012. Prosecutors said the shooting was gang related and was in retaliation against Zinn who allegedly stole weapons from the group.

The three men had been sentenced to life without parole and were sentenced to additional terms ranging from 57 to 77 years in state prison, according to the East Bay Times.

A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office responded to the decision in an email to the East Bay Times.

“Our office is reviewing the court’s opinion,” the statement read. “At this point, we intend to retry the accused and ensure justice in this case.”

The lawyer for one of the defendants welcomed the decision.

“Opinion speaks for itself,” said Paul Feuerwerker. “The appeals court was clearly troubled by some of the prosecutor’s questioning and the way the trial court handled these issues.”