Judge overturns murder convictions of Black men, ruling rap lyrics used at trial likely injected racial bias
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on October 7, 2022
A California judge vacated the murder convictions of two Black men on Monday after ruling that prosecutors "more likely than not" injected racial bias into the proceedings by presenting the men's rap lyrics as part of the alleged evidence.
Judge Clare Maier of the Contra Costa County Superior Court ordered a new trial for Gary Bryant Jr., and Diallo Jackson, two aspiring rappers, who were charged with first degree murder and convicted of fatally shooting Kenneth Cooper at an apartment complex in Antioch, California, in 2014 . . .
