Ohio officer’s attorneys seek dismissal of case
CINCINNATI — Attorneys for a white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black motorist Wednesday asked an Ohio judge to dismiss the charges on the eve of his murder retrial, claiming the county prosecutor violated a gag order.
Ray Tensing’s defence filed the motion less than two hours after WCPO-TV in Cincinnati posted a story in which Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters is quoted about the case. Among other things, he said Judge Leslie Ghiz could add lesser charges to the original charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter for the new jury to consider.
The previous jury couldn’t reach a verdict in November. Deters also said a strong majority of those jurors voted to convict Tensing of voluntary manslaughter.
“This violation of the gag order is a blatant attempt to influence and bias prospective jurors on the eve of the reporting date,” Tensing’s attorneys wrote.