Sagon Penn, 23, is escorted to a car after turning himself in for killing a police officer and permanently disabling his partner during a traffic stop. He was acquitted after his lawyer convinced the jury that the police instigated everything and attacked Penn without provocation, 1985 [852 x 620].
by lightiggy
6 Comments
The first surprise was when the prosecution announced that they would not seek the death penalty for Penn, who had no criminal record, no gang ties, and no previously demonstrated inclination towards violence. Then Penn was acquitted of murder entirely. Finally, the jury, adamant that Penn was left with no choice but to do what he did that day, also acquitted him of manslaughter at a second trial.
[Accused of Killing Police Officer: Dramatic Opening in Sagon Penn Murder Trial](https://archive.is/BWxvI)
At Penn’s second trial, it emerged that while the young man had no criminal record, the officer whom he left permanently disabled, Donovan Jacobs, had quite the record himself. Former police officer Drew MacIntyre described Jacobs as “one of the most prejudiced white people I’ve known” and “an ideal candidate for the Ku Klux Klan.”
[Penn Was a Man Without Choices, Defense Tells Jury](https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-06-me-5032-story.html)
>Sagon Penn was a man without choices, his attorney said Friday–a high-minded innocent provoked by the vicious attack of a racist police officer to empty a revolver in self-defense. Defense attorney Milton J. Silverman, launching his closing argument in Penn’s retrial on charges of killing one San Diego police officer and wounding a second and a civilian ride-along, said Penn might have died had he not fought off the attack by Police Agent Donovan Jacobs.
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>On Thursday, Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Carpenter had asked the San Diego County Superior Court jurors to put themselves in the shoes of Jacobs and his slain colleague, Police Agent Thomas Riggs, and then to understand the threat posed by Penn, whom he characterized as an “arrogant” and “brazen” martial-arts expert.
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>But Silverman, in more than five hours of sometimes-rambling remarks, urged the jury to instead consider Penn’s position. Pinned and pummeled, the object of Jacobs’ racial slurs, told to give himself up but under continuing attack, Penn grabbed Jacobs’ gun and started firing out of fear for his life.
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>Penn “was measuring the amount of time he had in heartbeats,” Silverman said. “And maybe he made the right decision and maybe he didn’t. But I’d like to know: What other decision was there?”
Convinced or could prove?
Sounds about right.
While the conduct of the officers was nothing short of awful perhaps shooting the civilian ride along as well might have been too far
What’s with the space suit?
Justice was surprisingly served that day