A member of the grand jury that declined to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Ferguson, Missouri, 18-year-old Michael Brown is suing for the right to discuss the case publicly, arguing that St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch’s statements about the case have mischaracterized jurors’ views. From St. Louis Public Radio (the grand juror is currently identified only as John Doe):
“In [the grand juror]’s view, the current information available about the grand jurors’ views is not entirely accurate — especially the implication that all grand jurors believed that there was no support for any charges,” the lawsuit says. “Moreover, the public characterization of the grand jurors’ view of witnesses and evidence does not accord with [Doe]’s own.”
“From [the grand juror]’s perspective, the investigation of Wilson had a stronger focus on the victim than in other cases presented to the grand jury,” the lawsuit states. Doe also believes the legal standards were conveyed in a “muddled” and “untimely” manner to the grand jury.
Grand jurors are typically prohibited from discussing their deliberations in public. In the Wilson case, transcripts of testimony given to the grand jury have been released; representatives of Brown’s family and outside commentators have cited these transcripts in criticizing McCulloch for presenting what they believe to have been a police-friendly collection of evidence.
