Twins found not guilty in burning death of Phoenix
Baltimore brothers Travers and Tremayne Johnson have been found not guilty in the burning death of Phoenix, a pit bull doused with accelerant and set on fire in 2009.
Closing arguments were made today and the jury deliberated for less than an hour before pronouncing the brothers not guilty of a crime that led the city to reexamine and strengthen its animal welfare laws and procedures.
Phoenix — the name the dog was given after her rescue — was euthanized days after she was found, on fire, by a Baltimore police officer.
The first trial for the Johnson brothers ended in a hung jury in February 2011.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein issued the following statement after the verdict:
“While I respect the jury’s decision, I am disappointed we didn’t achieve the outcome that we fought for during two challenging trials. Animal cruelty is a serious crime of violence, and those who commit it too frequently commit subsequent crimes of violence against humans. As we demonstrated in this case, we are dedicated to vigorously prosecuting individuals accused of this appalling offense.”
Defense attorneys for the Johnsons focused their defense on whether police mishandled the investigation and some of the evidence.
Craig Beyler, a fire protection engineer, called to the stand as an expert, testified that police mishandled clothing seized from the Johnsons’ South Baltimore home by mixing two pairs of jeans and a pair of sneakers in one bag. The clothing contained traces of an ignitable substance that could not be identified, but Beyler said it could have been a common chemical used in sneakers that might have transferred from the shoes to the jeans.
Prosecutors’ arguments linking the brothers to the burning centered mainly on a police surveillance video recorded from atop a pole near the crime scene.
No DNA, fingerprints or other forensic evidence connected the suspects to the crime.
A police sergeant identified the brothers in the video, in which two young men can be seen walking the dog minutes before the burning, and running away from the scene afterwards. A bystander, Tiera Goodman, told police soon after the incident she too saw the brothers run from the scene.
But Goodman refused to testify in the retrial. A video of her testimony from the first trial was played instead.
(Photo: WBAL)
Posted by jwoestendiek April 11th, 2012 under Muttsblog.
Tags: abuse, animal cruelty, animals, baltimore, brothers, burned, burning, cruelty to animals, died, dogs, doused, euthanized, Gregg Bernstein, johnson, killed, not guilty, pets, phoenix, pit bull, pit bulls, pitbull, pitbulls, police, retrial, set on fire, torture, travers johnson, tremayne johnson, trial, verdict
Comments
Comment from Judy R Noah
Time April 12, 2012 at 4:56 am
A civilization worth and longevity is determined by it’s treatment of animals.
Comment from Dona
Time April 12, 2012 at 12:43 pm
It is my hope and prayer that somebody has the decency, the courage, & the moral conviction to give both of these savages the beating of their lives!
Comment from eric
Time April 12, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Where’s Al Sharpton now
Comment from Anne’n'Spencer
Time April 13, 2012 at 2:18 pm
Well, not that it’s totally relevant to Phoenix, but a Baltimore City jury has just acquitted a man of the hit-and-run deaths of two young girls in the city. He not only hit and killed them, then drove off, but he convinced his girlfriend to lie to police saying she did it–so that he, as the father of her children, would be “protected.” Apparently none of that mattered to the jury.
There seems to be a problem with juries in Baltimore City, and it’s growing worse. Witness intimidation is a known fact. Worse than that are sworn jury members who will vote to acquit just because they don’t like police officers or prosecutors. We’ve even had a notorious incident where a man awaiting trial ordered the “execution” of the only witness against him–a killing that was duly carried out.
Innocent victims are in danger of receiving no justice at all in the city while criminals are victorious in court and walk free regardless of their guilt.
Comment from Donna Michel
Time April 16, 2012 at 9:11 am
I am really beginning to question the jury system in the United States….Casey Anthony….Phoenix and who knows how many other idiots on juries finding people not guilty…I think they just do not want to be on the jury, so they vote not guilty to get out of there as fast as they can. Very disheartening…..
Comment from Anne’n'Spencer
Time April 11, 2012 at 9:04 pm
I’m disappointed. I’m not surprised–and I don’t expect anyone who lives in Baltimore is surprised. But I’m disappointed.
I’d just like to mention Officer Teel, who found Phoenix, smothered out the flames, and got the dog to veterinary help as quickly as possible. She deserves our thanks for her service, compassion, and decency.