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Post by Robbie on Jun 6, 2014 17:27:33 GMT -5
Carolina football player, who pushed a man out of a bar into a moving car. He claims the death was an accident, that he was defending the girlfriend, who is now his wife. And she took the stand on Thursday.
The prosecution has rested their case.
And now, the defense is up. They say the former student athlete did what any boyfriend would do. He was protecting her from an aggressive et and threatening drunk.
It's the case of a bar brawl gone bad. Former university of north Carolina football player, Kenan gay, is on trial for second-degree murder, after pushing Robert Kingston to his death into traffic after he allegedly made a pass at his girlfriend. The woman at the center of it all is speaking to jurors for the first time.
Saying Kingston harassed and groped her the night of his death. And that gay was simply defending her. The hairs on the back of my neck just stood straight up, she said.
Elizabeth gay broke down several times recounting the story. But prosecutors say her tears were for a different reason.
THOUGHT'S...
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 6, 2014 17:50:38 GMT -5
I'm always hesitant to comment on a case before a jury has made it's decision- as learning the details and how the jury reached it helps me to while still respecting the jury's verdict, decide whether or not I agree with it. It does sound like a complicated case and regardless of if Gay's (the defendant) story is true- the man was pushed onto the sidewalk by him and was killed even based on his own defense (I guess the question is if Kingston stumbled onto traffic on his own or was pushed into it). There seems to be other charges from what I've read, so at the end of the day I wouldn't be surprised if Gay was convicted of a "lesser" charge such as Voluntary or Involuntarily Manslaughter. I once again stress I'm not an expert on this case but just through a quick glance it seems a case that I'm sure might be complicated and divide people. It's really up to the jury to decide his punishment if they find him responsible.
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Post by Robbie on Jun 11, 2014 16:42:09 GMT -5
Kenan Gay fought back tears as he testified in his own defense. "I just wanted to get him away from her," he told jurors. The jury in Kenan Gay’s second-degree murder trial began deliberations Wednesday afternoon with pivotal riddle to solve: Which Kenan Gay do they believe? Is it the Gay who rushed to the aid of his girlfriend two years ago at Ed’s Tavern? Or the one who ran away that night from the scene of Robb Kingston’s death? Is it the 6-foot-4 athlete who four witnesses say pushed the drunken Kingston into Park Road? Or is it the Gay who says he took his hands off Kingston more than 20 feet from the street? In closing arguments Wednesday, each side again presented Gay in sharply different ways. To defense attorney David Rudolf, Gay is the man “we’d all like our children to grow up to be.” To prosecutor Jay Ashendorf, Gay is “running from the truth,” just as he ran up Park Road after Kingston was struck and killed by a passing car. Starting at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, the seven women and five men of Gay’s jury began searching for answers. If found guilty, his punishment could range from probation to a prison term. Gay was arrested the night of March 3, 2012, accused of second-degree murder in Kingston’s death. Video inside Ed’s Tavern, a popular Dilworth bar, shows Gay pushing Kingston out the front door after Kingston tried to kiss Gay’s girlfriend, Liz Wicker, now his wife. What the jury decides happened next outside the bar will decide the case. The members has three choices of verdict: guilty on second-degree murder or the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter, or not guilty. Their decision must be unanimous. Read more here: www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/06/11/4969859/kenan-gay-murder-case-ready-for.html#storylink=cpy
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Post by Robbie on Jun 12, 2014 15:48:27 GMT -5
Charlotte Jury Deliberates For ''Second Day'' in Kenan Gay Murder Trial........
A verdict in the Kenan Gay second-degree murder trial could come Thursday today 06/12/2014.....
Jurors have three verdicts to consider:
Guilty of second-degree murder
Lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter
Not guilty.
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Post by Robbie on Jun 12, 2014 17:50:02 GMT -5
UPDATE:CHARLOTTE—A verdict in the Kenan Gay second-degree murder trial will not be decided on Thursday.
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Post by Robbie on Jun 13, 2014 11:09:39 GMT -5
There's a lot of anxiousness as people wait and wonder what the jury's verdict will be in the Kenan Gay second degree murder trial. Thursday was a long day of waiting.
Kenan Gay throughout the trial has been sitting next to his defense lawyers but while the jury was out of the courtroom he sat next to his wife and his family on one of the benches. The majority of victim's family has been waiting in another room.
Family members and supporters of Kenan Gay as well as family and supporters of Robert Kingston's family waited inside the Mecklenburg County courthouse for the jury's verdict.
Judge Forrest Don Bridges said the word verdict means speak the truth. The judge told the jurors before they started deliberating that they are the fact finders. Seven women and five men have plenty to discuss before coming to a conclusion. And they have three choices, 2nd degree murder, involuntary manslaughter or not guilty. And if they are hopelessly deadlocked, they could be a hung jury.
Jurors have heard several different versions about the night Robert Kingston died. They have to decide if prosecutors have proven beyond a reasonable doubt what happened two years ago outside a Dilworth bar wasn't an accident. How Kingston ended up in Park Road and struck by a car is what jurors will need to consider. The defense has insisted his .29 blood alcohol content put him there, while the state says Gay is the reason.
The jury did ask one question Thursday morning about looking at a photo taken by the police at night outside Ed's Tavern. There was some confusion about which photo they wanted to see so they were talking. They appeared to be getting along and cooperating. There didn't appear to be anyone who made up their mind.
Around 5 o'clock, they told the judge they were at a good stopping point. They'll be back Friday at 9:30 a.m. to continue their deliberations. Lawyers on both sides say there's no way to determine how long it will take.
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Post by Robbie on Jun 13, 2014 12:24:42 GMT -5
The jury has found Kenan Gay ''NOT GUILTY'' in his second degree murder trial in the death of Robert Kingston.
The verdict came down just before noon on Friday.
When the verdict was read, Kenan Gay and family broke out in tears.
The judge complimented the jury for their work on the trial and said his heart goes out to both families.
Gay's lawyer told the media after the proceedings that there was never any malice in Gay's heart.
THOUGHT'S?
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 13, 2014 13:04:19 GMT -5
Speaking from a legal perspective and keep in mind I knew nothing about this case before it was brought up here so I may talking out of my butt- not surprised. I thought it was either going to be involuntarily manslaughter or not guilty based on the little I know and what I've found on the web. It was known he pushed Kingston, but the question was whether Kingston- who was said to be intoxicated stumbled onto traffic. In a self-defense case, it was going to be extremely hard to prove without adequate eyewitness testimony. I think this I found from one internet poster was actually a great coment:
"I guess what I am having a hard time understanding is exactly where were they when Gay is supposed to have thrown Kingston into the street. If they were at the door or just outside the door, 30 to 40 feet is a great distance to throw someone. However; on the other hand, if they were just a few feet from the street, then it could be possible. Also, at least from the pictures, Kingston appears to have some weight to him.
I just do not see him being thrown any great distance. Maybe, being pushed and Kingston losing his balance and not being able to stop from entering the street.
Guess, that is why we are having a trial."
So yeah, there were witnesses, but perhaps the jury took what they could have possibly been able to see. A not guilty verdict does not mean you think the person is innocent- it means there is reasonable doubt. And in my opinion, a drunken man losing his balance and stumbling out onto the street after a fight is an entirely plausible theory and enough for reasonable doubt as to at the very least second-degree murder.
I'm wondering what kind of security was there that night that a fight that ended in tragedy happened in the first place.
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