LAPD (King Beating) Trial(英)

d, the prisoner was condemned, because there were riots in the city.

　　On April 10, the case was submitted to the jury. At first, the jury leaned slightly toward acquittal for all the officers. Three jurors, however, strongly favored conviction and they pressed their case hard. At times, debates in the jury room became highly emotional. One juror called another "an asshole." At another point in the discussions, a juror broke into tears and ran crying from the room. Finally, six days later, the jury concluded its work. There was an exchange of high fives in the jury room.

　　Judge Davies decided to postpone the announcement of the verdict until 7 A.M. the next morning to minimize the danger of rioting. Court clerk Jim Holmes read the verdict. The jury found two of the officers, Koon and Powell, guilty. They acquitted Officers Wind and Briseno. Prosecutors declared a victory. "This verdict provides justice" declared Justice Department Attorney Barry Kowalski. The streets of Los Angeles remained quiet.

　　Epilogue

　　In August 1993, Judge Davies sentenced Koon and Powell to thirty months in federal correctional camps. The government appealed, arguing that the sentences were too light and violated federal sentencing guidelines. In 1995, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the government's position and sent the case back to Judge Davies for the imposition of a tougher sentence. Koon and Powell appealed to the United States Supreme Court. On June 13, 1996, the High Court reversed the Ninth Circuit and upheld the sentence of Judge Davies on all but two minor points. The original thirty-month sentence stood.

　　In October of 1993, Koon and Powell began serving their sentences in separate federal camps. Near the end of Koon's sentence, an armed African-American man broke into a halfway house in Rubidoux, California where Koon had been staying. The man announced his intention to kill Koon, but fortunately Koon had been released to his family for the Thanksgiving holiday. The armed invader was killed by police in a shoot-out.

　　In December 1995, Koon and Powell were released.

　　Rodney King, meanwhile, won a $3.8 million verdict from the City of Los Angeles. He used some of the money he received in damages to found a rap record business, Alta-Pazz Recording Company

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