acquittal

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Woman Acquitted of Lacing Coffee With Viagra

Factory cleaner claimed she was 'set up'

(Newser) - A woman accused of spiking her colleagues' coffee with Viagra was found not guilty Thursday after claiming she was "set up." Karen Beale, 62, was arrested in September 2018 after she was secretly recorded using gloves to handle a jar of Nescafé at a factory in Dover, England,...

Cops Accused of Excessive Force in 2020 Protests Hear Their Fate

Indiana's Jonathan Horlock, Nathaniel Schauwecker allegedly struck 2 women with batons

(Newser) - Two Indianapolis police officers were acquitted early Saturday of using excessive force to strike two women with batons during arrests at a May 2020 protest against racial injustice and police brutality. Officers Jonathan Horlock and Nathaniel Schauwecker had been charged with battery and official misconduct in the case. They were...

Jury Rules on Antarctic Assault Claims: 'This Vindicates Him'

Stephen Tyler Bieneman was accused of putting shin across throat of woman at research station

(Newser) - A federal jury on Wednesday found a man not guilty of assaulting a woman at a US research station in Antarctica in a case that drew attention amid reports of harassment and assault at the station. Stephen Tyler Bieneman pulled tissues from a box on the defense table and cried...

Kevin Spacey Weeps as He's Found Not Guilty
Kevin Spacey Weeps
as He's Found Not Guilty
UPDATED
Jul 26, 2023 9:35 AM CDT

Kevin Spacey Weeps as He's Found Not Guilty

Actor is acquitted of sexual assault charges by a London jury

(Newser) - Kevin Spacey didn't just get emotional inside a London courtroom Wednesday when he was acquitted of sexual assault. Spacey shook the hands of several jurors on his way out of the building and kissed two security guards on the cheek before making a statement, per the New York Times ...

Court Acquits Man Who Stabbed Wife 'Involuntarily'

Canada's Jean-Luc Charles Perignon was ruled to be 'effectively asleep'

(Newser) - A Canadian man who definitely stabbed his wife has been found not guilty of the crime. In a stunning case of "automatism," British Columbia's Supreme Court found Jean-Luc Charles Perignon was "effectively asleep" when he stabbed his then-wife, Debra, in the back with a kitchen knife...

He Spent 4 Years Behind Bars Waiting for This Moment

Tyree Bowie was acquitted after being accused of killing a child in Pennsylvania

(Newser) - Tyree Bowie spent over four years behind bars awaiting trial for a crime he says he didn't commit. Now, a jury in York County, Pennsylvania, has agreed with him, per PennLive , acquitting Bowie of all charges in the death of Dante Mullinix. The boy died in September 2018, a...

A $1.2B Ship Was Destroyed. Now, a Sailor Hears His Fate

Ryan Sawyer Mays found not guilty of arson in 2020 burning of USS Bonhomme Richard

(Newser) - A military judge has acquitted a 21-year-old sailor of arson charges after a 2020 fire destroyed a $1.2 billion Navy amphibious assault ship. Capt. Derek Butler, who oversaw the trial by court-martial for Seaman Recruit Ryan Sawyer Mays, handed down his not-guilty verdict on Friday, more than two years...

Mom of Hospital Escapee: 'Terrified for the Community'

Texas man found not guilty by reason of insanity of killing his dad escapes from North Texas hospital

(Newser) - A Texas man acquitted eight years ago of murdering his father by reason of insanity has fled the hospital where he was being held, and his mom says she's "terrified" for him, their family, and the community at large. "I never, ever imagined that he would ever...

In a First, Defendant in Capitol Riot Acquitted

Judge finds defense plausible, though he suspects Matthew Martin was guilty of at least one count

(Newser) - A defendant who testified that Jan. 6 was "a magical day" was found not guilty Wednesday of four misdemeanor charges in connection with the attack on the Capitol. It's the first full acquittal of the riot prosecutions, per Politico . Matthew Martin had argued that he thought police were...

Engineer Acquitted in Fatal Amtrak Crash

Train derailed after hitting curve at 106mph

(Newser) - An Amtrak engineer was cleared Friday of charges related to a deadly, high-speed derailment that left eight people dead and hundreds injured in Philadelphia in 2015. The jury acquitted 38-year-old engineer Brandon Bostian of causing a catastrophe, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless endangerment after a little more than an hour of...

Jury Acquits in Theater Killing Over Cellphone

Chad Oulson was shot to death in argument over cellphone use

(Newser) - A Florida jury has found a retired police SWAT commander not guilty in a fatal shooting in a movie theater in 2014. Curtis Reeves, 79, had been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated battery, WTVT reports, but the judge had told jurors they could return lesser guilty verdicts, including manslaughter....

Rittenhouse: 'Self-Defense Is Not Illegal'

President Biden, former President Trump also offer their reactions to Wisconsin teen's acquittal

(Newser) - It was an emotional day Friday for Kyle Rittenhouse after he was acquitted for the shootings of three men in Kenosha in 2020, but the Wisconsin teen pulled himself together to chat with Fox News' Tucker Carlson afterward. The 18-year-old's reaction to the day's events: "The jury...

After 45 Years in Prison for Murder, He's Acquitted at 83

'I've become free,' Isaiah Andrews says following ruling in wife's 1974 murder

(Newser) - Isaiah Andrews spent 45 years in prison after he was convicted of killing his wife in 1974. But "the guy was in prison for something he didn't do," a juror told Cleveland.com on Wednesday after the 83-year-old was acquitted of aggravated murder in a Cuyahoga County...

Man Who Admitted Role in Daniel Pearl Killing Is Acquitted

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, 3 others likely to go free

(Newser) - Four men who've spent 18 years in prison for orchestrating the 2002 kidnapping and beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl were acquitted by Pakistan's highest court on Thursday, and are now set to go free. That includes British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was sentenced to...

Court: 4 Men Jailed in Murder of WSJ Reporter Are Innocent

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, 3 others could go free in Pakistan

(Newser) - The four men jailed in Pakistan for the 2002 kidnapping and beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl are set to walk free. British national Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh has been awaiting the outcome of an appeal since he was sentenced to death for murder, terrorism, and kidnapping for...

Trump Loves These Morning Headlines

He shows off newspapers at National Prayer Breakfast

(Newser) - President Trump plans to make a post-acquittal statement Thursday afternoon, but he couldn't resist celebrating the outcome of his impeachment trial in the morning at the annual National Prayer Breakfast. Soon after entering the room at the Washington Hilton, Trump held up the front pages of USA Today and...

To Carry Out Euthanasia, Her Coffee Was Secretly Drugged

Doctor cleared of wrongdoing in death of 74-year-old

(Newser) - A Dutch doctor was acquitted Wednesday in a landmark trial that prosecutors and physicians hope will help clarify how the country's 2002 euthanasia law can be applied to people with severe dementia. The doctor, who wasn't named in court, was cleared of any wrongdoing in carrying out euthanasia...

He Got Away With Assault— Because He's a Twin

Belgian court couldn't tell brothers apart in footage

(Newser) - There's clear evidence that one of two brothers punched a man in the nose outside a snack bar in Leuvan, Belgium—yet there will be no conviction. The reason: It was impossible for the court to tell the twins apart. One of the 28-year-old brothers actually confessed to throwing...

White Ex-Cop Acquitted in Fatal Shooting of Black Teen

Michael Rosfeld found not guilty in shooting death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II outside Pittsburgh

(Newser) - A jury on Friday acquitted a white former police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in the back as he was fleeing a high-stakes traffic stop outside Pittsburgh, a confrontation that was captured on video and led to weeks of unrest. Former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld...

Extremists Want Her to Die. Instead, Court Frees Her (Again)

Pakistani Supreme Court upholds acquittal of Christian accused of blasphemy, sentenced to die

(Newser) - Asia Bibi is finally free to leave Pakistan, if she hasn't already. On Tuesday, the country's Supreme Court upheld its own acquittal of Bibi—a Christian mother first arrested a decade ago on blasphemy charges and sentenced to death in 2010 —rejecting a challenge to its earlier...

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