误闯邻居家还把主人当小偷打死,今天她被定罪了(组图)
去年9月,美国德克萨斯州发生了一起枪杀案,受害者是一名在普华永道工作的黑人会计师,而嫌疑人则是一名白人女警察。
在黑人频频由于过度执法而丧生的美国,这起案件似乎并不特殊。但由于蹊跷之处颇多,再加上两人的种族背景,很快引起全美关注。时隔一年,这起案件在陪审团评审之后做出最终裁定。
图 via Mesquite Police Department and Instagram
Guyger, who is white, testified that after working long hours on September 6, 2018, she returned to her Dallas apartment complex. In uniform but off duty, she approached what she thought was her apartment. She noticed the door was partially open, saw a man inside who she believed to be an intruder, and fired her service weapon, killing him.
盖格是白人,她作证时说,2018年9月6日,在连续工作很长时间后,她回到了位于达拉斯的公寓大楼。虽然身穿制服,但并未当值的她来到她以为是自己家的公寓门口。她注意到门半开着,里面坐着一个人,她以为是个非法入侵者,于是拿警用枪打死了他。
In fact, she was at the apartment directly above hers -- which belonged to the 26-year-old Jean, who was black. Prosecutors said Jean had been on the couch in his shorts, watching TV and eating vanilla ice cream when Guyger walked in.
但事实上,她多上了一层楼,眼前这套公寓是属于26岁的黑人Jean的。检察官说,当盖格走进来时,Jean穿着短裤正在坐在沙发上,边看电视边吃香草冰激凌。
▲ White US cop convicted for shooting unarmed black neighbor in his home(via CNN)
图 via ABCnews
事件发生后达拉斯警局一直没有处分盖格,也引起大量民众的不满。后来迫于压力,警局宣布把她开除,而她本人也受到过失杀人的指控。不过,这次,她面临是的谋杀罪名。
在法庭上,辩方称达拉斯的公寓布局很容易让人混淆,一不留神就会走错。不过检方予以了回击。
The defense argued that the layout of the Dallas complex was confusing and it wasn't unusual for residents to enter the wrong apartment, believing it was their own. But the prosecution argued Guyger was distracted because she had been exchanging explicit text messages with her police partner, with whom she had a sexual relationship, and missed numerous signs indicating she was in the wrong place.
辩方辩称,达拉斯公寓群的布局令人困惑,居民们进错房间的情况并不少见,他们常把别人家误认成自己家。但检方辩称,盖格之所以分心,是因为她一直在跟与她有染的同事发短信,错过了明确显示她走错了地方的标识。
Prosecutors also asserted that Guyger should have done more to try and help Jean after she shot him but was more concerned about herself, repeatedly telling a 911 operator she was going to lose her job and texting her partner, Martin Rivera.
检方还主张,在朝Jean开枪后,盖格本应尽最大努力来帮他,但她显然更担心自己,多次告诉911接线员她的工作要保不住了,还给伴侣马丁·里韦拉发短信。
Prosecutors argued Jean posed no threat and was getting up from the couch when Guyger shot him.
检察官说Jean当时没有对盖格构成威胁,她开枪时,他正从沙发上站起来。
"He's not gonna throw the ice cream at her and kill her, he's not gonna throw the spoon at her and kill her," Assistant District Attorney Jason Fine said in closing arguments Monday. "He's sitting there the same as y'all are right now."
“他不会朝她扔冰激凌来杀她,不会把勺子扔到她身上来杀她,”助理地区检察官杰森·费恩在周一的结案陈词中说。“他就只是坐在那里,和你们现在一样。”
▲ Ex-Dallas cop found guilty of murder in neighbor's death(via cbsnews)
周二下午,大陪审团只用了6个小时就做出了裁定,盖格的谋杀罪名成立,她将被关押到达拉斯的北塔拘留中心。
Jean的家人听到裁定后激动相拥。图 via cbsnews
得到这样的判决,Jean家人的律师梅里特称这是“巨大的胜利”,不仅对受害者的家人来说,而且对所有“美国的黑人”也是如此。因为很少有警察因枪杀而面临审判,被定罪的更少。
"It's a signal that the tide is going to change here," he told reporters outside the courtroom. "Police officers are going to be held accountable for their actions and we believe that will begin to change policing culture all over the world."
“这意味着时代正在发生变化,”他在法庭外对记者说。“警察将要为自己的行为负责,我们相信这会改变世界各地的警务文化。”
Another family attorney, Benjamin Crump, cited the names of numerous unarmed African Americans who have died at the hands of police.
另一位家庭律师本杰明·克伦普则列举了多个非裔美国人的名字,他们都是在手无寸铁的情况下死于警察之手。
"For so many unarmed black and brown human beings all across America, this verdict is for them," he said.
他说:“对于全美国那么多手无寸铁的黑人和棕色人种来说,这个判决是属于他们的。”
▲ White US cop convicted for shooting unarmed black neighbor in his home(via CNN)
看到这样的裁定,网友一片叫好。
很高兴看到正义得到伸张。
困难重重,但依我浅见,陪审团做出了正确的决定。
谢天谢地,我真以为她能逃脱惩罚呢。
我觉得她不一定是有意为之,但作为一个接受过职业训练的警察,她应该为自己的行为负责。
还有网友说接下来就看最终的量刑了,但愿不会在这一步让大家失望。
A: 并不够好,但至少是个正确的裁定。现在我们就等着看量刑结果吧。
B: 量刑这部分让人挺紧张的。
祈祷她能被判得久一些。如果这法官只判她五年,可能两年后她就出来了。
据悉,盖格最高可能会被判无期徒刑,不过结果究竟如何,还要看今天(美国当地时间)法官的最终决定了。