All through the one-week trial of Eddie Gonzalez, prosecutors painted the previous Lengthy Seashore college officer as a wannabe cop who wildly overreacted to a minor struggle between women and turned it right into a deadly scenario.
Gonzalez’s attorneys — defending him for capturing 18-year-old Manuela “Mona” Rodriguez behind the top as she fled the scene of the incident — referred to as the 2021 killing a “tragedy, however not against the law.”
However the jurors deciding Gonzalez’s destiny deadlocked Tuesday, seemingly cut up not by the dueling narratives offered in court docket, however whether or not the defendant was responsible of homicide or manslaughter.
The jury had the choice to convict on the lesser cost in the event that they decided he killed Rodriguez in an act legally outlined as “imperfect self-defense.” On Tuesday, seven jurors stated they have been able to convict Gonzalez, 51, of homicide, whereas one other 5 stated they may solely convict him of voluntary manslaughter.
Jurors on Monday requested if they may think about a cost of involuntary manslaughter, however Los Angeles County Superior Courtroom Decide Richard Goul stated they may not.
Prosecutors may nonetheless select to retry the case. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County district legal professional’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
On the day of the capturing in September 2021, Gonzalez was responding to a report of a struggle between Rodriguez and a 15-year-old lady outdoors of Millikan Excessive College. The officer threatened to pepper-spray each women, and after the brawling events have been separated, Rodriguez ran again to her boyfriend’s automobile.
Gonzalez ordered them to cease and ran alongside the automobile, however the automobile’s tires started to screech because it drove away from the officer, in keeping with video from the scene. Gonzalez fired two photographs on the automobile, one when he was clearly standing behind the automobile, hanging Rodriguez within the head. She suffered extreme mind harm and was taken off life assist every week later, forsaking a 5-month-old son.
“This defendant responded to youthful disobedience with lethal power,” L.A. County Deputy Dist. Atty. Lee Orquiola stated in his closing arguments. “He was the grownup on this scenario. He was purported to be the accountable one. The one making the best choices.”
Prosecutors stated a number of of their witnesses, together with a woman who filmed the lethal encounter, may have been harmed by Gonzalez’s photographs. Orquiola stated Gonzalez ought to have merely taken a report and written down the license plate of the automobile so Lengthy Seashore police may make an arrest later.
As an alternative, prosecutors stated, Gonzalez acted recklessly and responded to a menace that didn’t exist.
“That first shot he isn’t at risk, in any respect, and he fires at shut vary,” Orquiola stated. “Second shot, he’s much more out of the hazard, that automobile is driving away and he fires once more.”
Video of the capturing drew widespread outrage and protests. Lengthy Seashore college officers moved rapidly to fireplace Gonzalez, and then-Lengthy Seashore Mayor Robert Garcia referred to as on Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón to right away file prices in opposition to the officer.
Schwartz, the protection legal professional, argued your entire incident lasted lower than two seconds, too in need of a window for Gonzalez to type the intent required to validate a homicide cost.
Whereas video clearly reveals Gonzalez capturing from behind the automobile, Schwartz advised jurors they needed to put themselves within the officer’s sneakers and criticized prosecutors for utilizing nonetheless body photographs and slow-motion footage to judge Gonzalez’s actions. Testimony at trial confirmed solely .3 seconds elapsed between the 2 gunshots, and Schwartz argued his shopper was so near the automobile that he had an affordable perception he may very well be struck.
“This didn’t occur in sluggish movement,” Schwartz stated. “Life doesn’t occur in sluggish movement.”
On Tuesday, Schwartz stated it was time for the district legal professional’s workplace to let the case go.
“At this level, a jury of 12 folks heard all of the proof and didn’t convict,” he stated. “It’s been 2.5 years since this incident, the civil case was settled. We’re hopeful that Mr. Gascón will let everybody transfer on.”
Final yr, the Lengthy Seashore Unified College District settled a wrongful-death go well with filed by Rodriguez’s household for $13 million.
After spending many years as a cable repairman, Gonzalez started working in legislation enforcement in 2015 as a reserve Orange County deputy, his household stated in court docket filings. He was employed by each the Los Alamitos and Sierra Madre police departments in 2019, however left each jobs inside months. Officers with each departments wouldn’t say why.
Gonzalez didn’t testify at trial, so prosecutors couldn’t inquire about his legislation enforcement historical past earlier than he began as a Lengthy Seashore college security officer.
