• U.S.

Ferguson Grand Jury Evidence May Not Be Released After All

2 minute read

If a St. Louis County grand jury does not indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, evidence in the case may never be made public, despite promises from the prosecutor.

According to a letter from a St. Louis court administrator, the St. Louis County circuit court judge presiding over the case has not agreed to release evidence currently being considered by the grand jury, which was convened to decide whether to charge Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager.

See Tension Mount in Ferguson as Protests Begin Anew

Ferguson Police Protester Dasha Jones
Dasha Jones, 19, is arrested for unlawful assembly during a protest ahead of the grand jury decision in the case against Darren Wilson, who shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Mo. on the evening of Nov. 20, 2014.Barrett Emke
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Police detain a demonstrator after he and others blocked a street near a police station in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 23, 2014Jewel Samad—AFP/Getty Images
Member of the National Guard stands along a parked military vehicle in the back of a shopping center in Ferguson, Missouri
A member of the National Guard stands along a parked military vehicle in the back of a shopping center in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 24, 2014. Adrees Latif—Reuters
Gina Gowdy
Gina Gowdy, of Ferguson, Mo., shouts while marching with protestors along a stretch of road where violent protests occurred following the August shooting of unarmed black teenager by a white police officer, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo.David Goldman—AP
Police watch as a protester with an upside-down American flag marches along West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo.
Police watch as a protester with an upside-down American flag marches along West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo., Nov. 22, 2014Whitney Curtis—The New York Times/Redux
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Police in riot gear observe protesters on the street near the Ferguson Police Station in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 23, 2014Shen Ting—Xinhua Press/Corbis
Ferguson
Demonstrators block a busy intersection while marching through the streets to protest the shooting of Michael Brown, in St. Louis on Nov. 23, 2014David Goldman—AP
A protester, demanding the criminal indictment of a white police officer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager in August, shouts slogans while stopping traffic while marching through a suburb in St. Louis, Missouri
A protester, demanding the criminal indictment of Darren Wilson, shouts slogans while stopping traffic in St. Louis, on Nov. 23, 2014Adrees Latif—Reuters
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Demonstrators shout slogans during a march in St. Louis, on Nov. 23, 2014Jewel Samad—AFP/Getty Images
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A man wearing a mask joins others around a makeshift memorial where 18-year-old Michael Brown who was shot dead by a police officer, in Ferguson, Mo., Nov. 22, 2014Jewel Samad—AFP/Getty Images
Matt Pearce
Matt Pearce, a reporter with the Los Angeles Times, holds his head after getting clocked with a rock thrown into the crowd during a protest in the streets in St. Louis on Nov. 23, 2014.David Goldman—AP
Peaceful march in St. Louis, as people await for Grand Jury verdict
Protesters march through neighborhoods in St. Louis on Nov. 23, 2014Alexey Furman—Demotix/Corbis
Tense Ferguson, Missouri Awaits Grand Jury Findings In Shooting Of Michael Brown
Demonstrators pray around a memorial at the spot where Michael Brown was shot to death on in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 22, 2014Scott Olson—Getty Images
Tense Ferguson, Missouri Awaits Grand Jury Findings In Shooting Of Michael Brown
Police guard the Ferguson police station as demonstrators protest the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 20, 2014Scott Olson—Getty Images
Tense Ferguson, Missouri Awaits Grand Jury Findings In Shooting Of Michael Brown
A demonstrator protesting the shooting death of Michael Brown blows cigar smoke in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 22, 2014Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCullough has repeatedly stated that he would obtain a court order to unseal grand jury evidence, an unusual step that was seen as an attempt to defuse potential anger over the decision. In a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story on Nov. 23, St. Louis County Court Administrator Paul Fox said Judge Carolyn Whittington had agreed to grant the request.

But Fox described the paraphrased quote attributed to him as “not accurate,” in a letter released after the story, and said Whittington had not made an agreement to release grand jury evidence and that any requests “will require the Court to analyze the need for maintaining secrecy of the records with the need for public disclosure of the records.”

(MORE: Cop in Ferguson Shooting Gets Married)

On Monday the grand jury reconvened to determine whether to formally charge Wilson for the shooting, which sparked weeks of riots and protests in the St. Louis suburb and reignited the debate over race, privilege and police conduct in the U.S. A decision is expected soon.

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