During Walter Scott murder trial, jury foreman had felony dropped

Dorsey Montgomery, the jury foreman in the trial for Michael Slager, had a 2014 traffic stop and arrest but was still picked for the jury.

TheGrio Staff

Dec 9, 2016

Dorsey Montgomery, the jury foreman in the trial for Michael Slager, the South Carolina officer who shot and killed Walter Scott, had a 2014 traffic stop and arrest by the North Charleston Police Department but was still picked for the jury.

However, none of the lawyers involved objected to Montgomery serving on the jury. Defense lawyer Andy Savage noted that he knew about Montgomery’s past but did not ask to exclude him from the jury, though Savage did note that the limited questioning of possible jurors could have been grounds for an appeal. What’s more, Montgomery’s past dealings with Charleston police could have been a sticking point for the hung jury, which was unable to decide whether to convict Slager.

–Lone black juror talks verdict upset in Walter Scott shooting–

A prosecutor in 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson’s office then dropped the charges against Montgomery three weeks into the trial, on the same day that Montgomery was appointed to head up the jury. Wilson claimed no knowledge of this.

“I was not aware that his charges were resolved in the midst of trial,” Wilson said, “or what the circumstances were surrounding their resolution.”

The jury announced on Friday that they could not come to a decision, with one lone juror absolutely refusing to convict Slager, though Montgomery noted that there were others on the jury who were undecided.