Jury Selection Begins in Tulia Cop Perjury Trial
Bump and Update: Jury selection begins Monday.
Coleman's trial on the perjury charges, which centers on whether he lied about his own arrest record during the evidentiary hearings for four defendants in 2003, was to begin with jury selection Monday. It was expected to last about a week.
Don't forget to check Grits for Breakfast where guestblogger Rev. Alan Bean is live-blogging the trial.
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Original Post 1/8/05
Tom Coleman is the undercover drug cop responsible for the convictions of 38 mostly black defendants in Tulia, Texas. He was found to be non-credible, the convictions were overturned and the defendants were pardoned. They even received a $5 million settlement. He is about to go on trial for perjury.
Grits for Breakfast is following the trial through a special on-site guest blogger. From today's segment:
As his perjury trial approaches, Tom Coleman showed up in court for the first time Friday to watch his lawyers try to have the special prosecutor in the case removed. His attorney previewed some of his arguments blaming task force supervisors. (Ah, the finger pointing has already started; this could be fun!) Meanwhile, folks in Tulia just want the case to go away, reports one TV station.
The perjury charge does not directly relate to the Tulia, case but directly affects it because if true, it further destroys his credibility and undermines the validity of the Tulia drug sweeps he instigated. Coleman's indictment relates to his alleged lying about events connected to his having been previously charged with stealing county gasoline in a hearing ordered by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
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