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
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 EmkePolice detain a demonstrator after he and others blocked a street near a police station in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 23, 2014Jewel Samad—AFP/Getty ImagesA 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—ReutersGina 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—APPolice 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/ReduxPolice in riot gear observe protesters on the street near the Ferguson Police Station in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 23, 2014Shen Ting—Xinhua Press/CorbisDemonstrators block a busy intersection while marching through the streets to protest the shooting of Michael Brown, in St. Louis on Nov. 23, 2014David Goldman—APA protester, demanding the criminal indictment of Darren Wilson, shouts slogans while stopping traffic in St. Louis, on Nov. 23, 2014Adrees Latif—ReutersDemonstrators shout slogans during a march in St. Louis, on Nov. 23, 2014Jewel Samad—AFP/Getty ImagesA 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 ImagesMatt 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—APProtesters march through neighborhoods in St. Louis on Nov. 23, 2014Alexey Furman—Demotix/CorbisDemonstrators pray around a memorial at the spot where Michael Brown was shot to death on in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 22, 2014Scott Olson—Getty ImagesPolice guard the Ferguson police station as demonstrators protest the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. on Nov. 20, 2014Scott Olson—Getty ImagesA 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-Dispatchstory 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.”
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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