No convictions were returned against three white former St. Louis police officers accused of beating a black undercover colleague during a 2017 protest.
Steven Korte was acquitted by a jury Monday of charges of deprivation of rights under color of law and of lying to the FBI in connection to the attack on officer Luther Hall, who underwent multiple surgeries after the attack, a local FOX affiliate reported.
Former officer Christopher Myers was acquitted of deprivation of rights while the jury deadlocked on a deprivation of rights charge against Dustin Boone. The jury also could not reach a verdict on a charge of destruction of evidence against Myers for allegedly smashing Hall’s phone.
The judge declared a mistrial on counts on which the jury could not agree.
Prosecutors said Boone, Myers, and Korte attacked and beat Hall after mistaking him for a protester during a demonstration that was formed in response to former officer Jason Stockley being found not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith, who is also black.
Two other former officers, Randy Hays and Bailey Colletta, have pleaded guilty to their roles in the assault and are awaiting sentencing.
On the night of Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, Hall was working undercover with a partner during the protests. The pair was documenting potential crimes when they got split up in the chaos during the demonstration.
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During his testimony, Hall described the 2017 attack to jurors as a “free-for-all.”
He sustained a hole in his lip that was stitched, injuries to his jaw and neck that required spinal fusion, and was unable to eat solid food for weeks, causing him to lose 20 pounds, according to the Associated Press.
Lawyers for the defense said police department chaos at the time meant officers and supervisors on the street did not know undercover officers were working the night of the protest. The defense team also questioned Hall’s ability to identify his attackers.
Critics of the no “guilty” verdicts generated cited how an all-white jury was selected. A black woman was swapped as a substitute during the last week of the trial, according to former St. Louis officer Heather Taylor, Hall’s friend who heard testimony during the two-week-long trial.
“If an undercover cop can’t get justice, how will the rest of us who have been maced, shot, beaten, and brutalized ever get justice?” tweeted Rep. Cori Bush, who represents part of the St. Louis area.
St. Louis police beat a Black cop who was working undercover at a protest “like Rodney King” and not one officer was found guilty.
If an undercover cop can’t get justice, how will the rest of us who have been maced, shot, beaten, and brutalized ever get justice? https://t.co/ckn8qZoAz6
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) March 29, 2021
Jurors were shown a recording of Hall’s livestream feed of the beating, along with text messages from Boone and Myers, in which they indicated being part of the incident near St. Louis’s downtown area. There was no photo or video footage depicting which officers struck him.
Hall sued the department and officers, including Myers and Boone, but recently settled the case against the department for $5 million.
Taylor said she was in disbelief of the verdicts from the jury.
“This is about black and white,” she said. “This is the reality even if you are a police officer!”
Both candidates for St. Louis mayor, Tishaura Jones and Cara Spencer, expressed dissatisfaction regarding the verdicts in written statements.
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“With 2 mistrial counts, and “not guilty” verdicts on the remaining counts, those involved in the egregious beating of Hall evaded justice,” Spencer wrote. “These officers failed him and, as such, failed us.”
