![]() That verdict and a decision made by Perry during a sentencing hearing to throw out a complicated gun enhancement charge reduced Mehserle”s possible term in jail from 25 years to life to two years. During the trial, Mehserle testified in his own defense, arguing that the shooting was an accident caused when he mistook his gun for his Taser.Ī jury appeared to believe Mehserle, finding him guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Publicity surrounding the shooting and the frequent protests in downtown Oakland forced a relocation of the trial to Los Angeles. Mehserle refused to speak to investigators immediately after the killing and eventually was charged with murder by Tom Orloff, a former Alameda County district attorney. The videos showed an unarmed Grant being shot in the back as he lay prone on the platform with another BART police officer holding him down. The killing made national headlines and sparked several destructive demonstrations after videos captured by BART passengers recorded the shooting. Mehserle was charged with murder for killing the 22-year-old Hayward man on the Fruitvale BART station platform in Oakland. Some have said he will be given the most lenient parole available in the state, which does not require him to take drug tests, check in with a parole officer or remain a resident of California. It also remains unclear what type of parole Mehserle will be given. Rains would not discuss what Mehserle”s plans are or where he will live he was unavailable for comment Monday. While Mehserle”s release closes a chapter in the highly publicized saga, the story of Grant”s death and its implications will continue for years as both a federal civil suit and an appeal of Mehserle”s conviction remain active in the courts. Michael Rains, Mehserle”s attorney, successfully argued to keep Mehserle in a Los Angeles County jail, where he was held in his own cell and apart from other inmates.īeing freed from jail offers Mehserle chance to begin anew - but not in the profession he had chosen when he became a BART officer more than three years ago. “There is still a lot of work to be done to make sure police officers are held accountable for their actions.”Īlthough Mehserle was sentenced to state prison for his conviction, he was never sent to the California Department of Corrections because of safety concerns. ![]() “It”s totally disappointment, anger, hurt and pain,” Johnson said of Mehserle”s release. Instead, Johnson said, he saw several police cars and helicopters arrive at the jail about that time and, after they left, he received a call confirming that Mehserle had been released. Johnson said he was waiting outside the Los Angeles County Men”s Jail about midnight hoping to catch a glimpse of Mehserle, but he did not see the former officer. ![]() “We were totally let down by the judicial system.” “We really don”t feel like there has been accountability for his actions,” Cephus Johnson, Grant”s uncle and a family spokesman, said earlier this month. 1, 2009, and how, in their minds, the criminal justice system failed. OAKLAND - Former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle was released early Monday after serving a little more than 11 months of a two-year sentence given the 29-year-old after he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for killing Oscar Grant III.įor Grant”s family, the release is a bitter reminder of the tragedy that occurred in the early hours of Jan.
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