An all-white jury returned no guilty verdicts in a trial in which three white St. Louis police officers were charged with beating a handcuffed Black detective, Luther Hall, who was working undercover during the Jason Stockley protests in 2017.
The trial lasted more than two weeks — the jury was released to deliberate Friday.
Two of four alternative jurors were Black.
According to local media outlets, jurors acquitted Officer Steven Korte and former officer Christopher Myers. They were charged with deprivation of civil rights under color of law for the beating of Hall.
Jurors were unable to reach a decision on the same charge against former officer Dustin Boone and were also unable to reach a verdict for a charge of destruction of property against Myers, who was accused of destroying Hall’s cell phone.
Two former St. Louis officers, Randy Hays and Bailey Colletta, previously pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the beating.
Hall underwent multiple surgeries after the attack. Hall’s white undercover partner during the protest was also arrested, but not beaten.
The Ethical Society of Police released a response to the verdicts, saying that while they respect the decision of the jury, they strongly disagree with the verdict.
“There was clear evidence to convict former St. Louis City Police Officers Christopher Myers, Dustin Boone, and Steven Korte. The injuries Detective Luther Hall sustained were consistent with being beaten by multiple subjects,” they wrote. “Police officers continue to escape the consequences of their actions. The criminal justice system continues to show African-American victims of police violence we do not receive the same level of justice when white police officers are accused of excessive force toward African Americans.”
These verdicts come as the trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd began Monday.
