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Judge rejects AG’s bid to permanently end case against ex-Capitol Police officer
The ruling leaves open a possible retrial after a deadlocked jury and a prosecutor’s office decision not to try Rhinewalt again.
- On Wednesday, Hinds County Circuit Judge Faye Peterson blocked Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch's attempt to permanently dismiss the manslaughter case against former Capitol Police officer Michael Lamar Rhinewalt, who killed Jaylen Lewis during a traffic stop.
- Peterson criticized the Attorney General's office for failing to provide substantive reasoning to abandon prosecution, accusing the department of showing "bias" for law enforcement rather than upholding its duty.
- After a majority-Black jury deadlocked last month, the ruling leaves open the possibility of a second trial for Rhinewalt, who also faced a separate aggravated assault case involving Sherita Harris.
- Jaylen Lewis' father William Drake called the Attorney General's decision not to retry the case a "political" move, while Rhinewalt's friend Shaun Yurtkuran labeled the office's handling a "mess."
- Rhinewalt remains in legal limbo as any potential retrial depends on a future Attorney General, with Fitch's current term concluding in 2028.
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19 Articles
Associated Press News+16 Reposted by 16 other sources
Judge rejects AG’s bid to permanently end case against ex-Capitol Police officer
A Mississippi judge has blocked the state attorney general’s attempt to drop a Hinds County manslaughter case against a former Capitol Police officer.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources19
Leaning Left10Leaning Right4Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution53% Left
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources lean Left
53% Left
L 53%
C 26%
R 21%
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