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District prosecutors on Friday dismissed riot charges against all other defendants arrested after the destructive demonstrations of the Inauguration Day, ending a controversial case that led to government accusations excessive. against 38 people waiting for their trial.
The vandalism of downtown businesses on the day of President Trump's swearing on extended 16 blocks as part of a disruption called DisruptJ20. Members of a large group of protesters lit small fires and used bricks and crowbars to crush the storefronts.
In all, 234 people were arrested and charged with riots. Among them, 21 defendants pleaded guilty before the trial. But prosecutors were unable to obtain convictions at trial against other members of the group.
Defense lawyers have long argued that prosecutors went too far in pursuing cases against more than 200 people. They argued that their clients were not in riot, but were swept up in the arrests by protesting peacefully.
[ Government says it drops most of the remaining cases of Inaugural Day]
After the first six accused trials were acquitted, prosecutors dropped charges against more than 150 others, saying that they were unable to prove that these people had planned or participated in demonstrations for the purpose of causing harm. Charges against several other defendants were dropped after Superior Court of Canada Judge Robert E. Morin found that the US Attorney's Office had not provided video evidence to the defense. defendants or were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Over time, prosecutors rejected more cases.
In a statement, DC prosecutors noted that 21 of those arrested have admitted guilt, but said: "in light of the results in cases brought before
" US Attorney's Office The District of Columbia believes that the evidence demonstrates that a riot occurred on January 20, 2017, during which more than $ 100,000 of damages were caused to many public and private property. " statement read: "The destruction that took place during these criminal acts contrasted strongly with the peaceful demonstrations and rallies that took place during the inaugural weekend of the District of Columbia, creating a danger for all those nearby. "The rioters mingled with protesters using" black-block "tactics, wearing dark clothes and hiding their faces with masks and glasses so that it would be more difficult for the authorities to identify them while they were participating in the violence
Videos of cameras, mobile phones and police surveillance cameras in the hope of linking the accused to riots.
After both trials, jurors told reporters that they were not able to unanimously reach guilt verdicts. in vandalism. In some cases, prosecutors showed videos that they said showed that some of those arrested had broken windows. But the jurors said that the pictures were not clear enough to be sure.
[Second Inauguration Day trial ends with no conviction of four defendants]
During the trials, prosecutors were also criticized for handling key evidence, a secret video provided by Project Veritas, a group of conservative activists who uses secret footage. Prosecutors said Veritas representatives secretly attended and recorded a planning meeting leading up to the riots.
Two judges, including Morin, have appointed Senior Business Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff. nor did it provide all of Veritas' videos to pre-trial defense counsel, or edit the videos and failed to disclose any changes to the lawyers. Kerkhoff filed a motion with Morin asking the judge to reconsider his findings against her.
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