Jury misconduct led to a mistrial in a murder case against three alleged gang members accused of shooting an Atlanta councilwoman’s nephew.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter said the efforts put into the trial were “more or less two weeks wasted time,” Channel 2 Action News reported. Baxter also presided over the Atlanta Public Schools cheating trials in 2015.
It’s believed one juror spoke with a detective about ballistics information this past weekend and another rode past the crime scene, Channel 2 reported.
Rashad Barber, 18, Ryan Bowdery, 23, and David Dajunta Wallace, 22, faced charges of murder, aggravated assault and participation in criminal activity in the fatal shooting of Darius Bottoms.
The three men believed Bottoms, 18, was part of a rival gang when they allegedly sprayed bullets into his car June 2014 as he drove down Legacy Drive in southwest Atlanta. Bottoms was struck in the head and later died. A passenger managed to escape without injury.
Darius Bottoms was the nephew of city councilwoman and mayoral candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms.
The case could be tried again as early as December, Channel 2 reported.
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