CHARLOTTE, N.C. – CMPD Officer Wes Kerrick’s attorneys were quiet after a second Grand Jury indicted their client, but now, in a statement to WCCB, are saying quite a bit.
George Laughrun and Michael Greene say, “When the Grand Jury convenes, they only hear from the prosecution. The Defendant and his attorney are not present. As such, the Defendant is not given any opportunity to offer testimony and other relevant evidence is not heard. The Defense is also not given the opportunity to rebut evidence presented by the State.”
Laughrun and Greene go on to say, “The Grand Jury need only find probable cause exists to return with a “true bill” of indictment. This is a far lower standard than at trial where the State needs to prove an individual’s guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Given these facts, the Attorney General’s public statements regarding the case, coupled with the recent media attention, it is not surprising that Officer Kerrick was indicted by the second Grand Jury.”Β
Twenty-four-year-old Jonathan Ferrell was gunned down in east Charlotte in September. Kerrick’s attorneys say the shooting was justified and that Ferrell refused to stop advancing on police or follow their orders.
Ferrell’s attorneys say it was a senseless act and that the unarmed man simply wanted help after his car accident.
One Grand Jury refused to indict 27-year-old Kerrick on one count of voluntary manslaughter, but this week a second Grand Jury did. We’ve also learned the second Grand Juryβa full, 18-member panelβdidn’t unanimously vote to indict Kerrick. Four refused.
A much-talked about dash cam video from the night of the shooting hasn’t been made public, but will likely be presented at trial. A date has not been set.
