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After 27 hours of deliberation spanning five days, the jury of seven men and five women, including two people of color, reached its verdict shortly after 2 p.m. Friday. It was read in court at 2:45 p.m. The jury delivered the verdicts before a packed courtroom, which included Castile’s family. Yanez, 29, was charged in Ramsey County with one count of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of reckless discharge of a firearm for killing Castile, 32, last July 6 in Falcon Heights. Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her daughter, then 4, were also in the car at the time. Reynolds livestreamed the aftermath on Facebook, drawing worldwide attention to Castile’s death.
This is a breaking news update. Check back with Startribune.com for more details.
St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez has been found not guilty of all counts in the July 6, 2016 fatal shooting of Philando Castile.
Jurors asked the court Friday to reread the officer’s testimony in its entirety, their second request this week for statements he made regarding the fatal shooting of Philando Castile. But Ramsey County District Court Judge William H. Leary III denied the request without elaborating, saying the reasons aren’t “important to share right now.” Jurors were convened about 9:45 a.m. Friday — their fifth day of deliberations — to address the issue. They broke for lunch shortly before noon. Leary read their note in court, “The jury respectfully requests that the entirety of officer Yanez’s testimony on the stand, including direct examination by the defense and subsequent cross-examination by the prosecution, be read from the transcript.” Castile’s mother, Valerie Castile, sister and supporters watched the brief proceeding, along with Yanez’s wife, parents, brothers and several supporters.
Jurors returned to their 26th hour of deliberation shortly before 10 a.m. “It’s not an unusual request for a jury that’s having a problem making a decision to have testimony reread,” said Joseph Daly, emeritus professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. But Daly and Minneapolis attorney Joe Tamburino said that Leary made the correct call, which was at his discretion and not governed by specific laws or the Minnesota Court Rules of Criminal Procedure. “I believe most judges would rule the way this judge has,” Daly said.
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