Civil Rights
Bell Gets 18 Months in Jena 6 Plea Deal
Posted Dec 3, 2007, 06:58 pm CDT
By Martha Neil
One of the Jena 6 defendants has agreed to a plea deal in juvenile court that apparently will require him to serve little additional time, after spending much of 2007 in jail.
A conspiracy charge has been dropped and Mychal Bell, 17, will plead guilty to a second-degree battery count, in a plea deal approved today by a Louisiana judge, reports the Chicago Tribune. The former high school football star will be sentenced to 18 months, with credit for time served.
The plea deal was approved today by District Judge J.P. Mauffray, almost exactly one year after the Dec. 4, 2006, attack. Bell with serve the time concurrently with another 18-month juvenile sentence that Bell received from Mauffray in October for four prior juvenile battery and destruction of property sentences. His attorneys say he may be out of jail by June.
Plea negotiations are now ongoing concerning other five Jena 6 defendants, the newspaper reports.
"This case has been a very difficult chapter in the town's life and for the individuals involved," says David Utter, an attorney for another Jena 6 juvenile defendant. "My sense is that the district attorney would like to close this chapter now."
As discussed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post, the case has attracted tremendous public attention and resulted in massive civil rights marches. That is because of a perception on the part of many onlookers that Bell and his co-defendants, who are black, have been more harshly treated than white students at their high school in Jena, La., concerning racially tinged incidents.
The Jena 6 were charged in an alleged attack on a fellow student, who is white.
Related Stories
- ‘Profile’ Investigations By FBI Being Considered at DOJ
Jul 3, 2008, 02:04 pm CDT - Judge v. Judge: Banned Florida Jurist Sues Courthouse Chief
Jul 3, 2008, 01:31 pm CDT - Judge Nixes Execution Date for Longest-Serving Texas Inmate
Jul 3, 2008, 12:35 pm CDT - Texas Judge and Law Prof in Civil Rights Case is Arrested
Jul 3, 2008, 12:10 pm CDT
Commenting has expired on this post.
Comments
Posted by J.D. - 7 months, 19 hours, 51 minutes ago
Interesting that the leftist media has never told you about Bell’s “four prior juvenile battery and destruction of property sentences.”
They don’t want you to know that their “victim” beat his girlfriend so bad that her eyeball was knocked out of its socket.
Yep, this is guy is more of a THUG than anyone even knows. It’s disgusting to see anyone, especially ignorant young girls marching in support of him. He’s a woman-beater.