Thursday, April 21, 2016
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS
Five former New Orleans police officers pleaded guilty Wednesday in deadly shootings in the days after Hurricane Katrina, abruptly ending a decade-old case that tainted an already scandal-plagued police force and reawakened memories of the chaos and devastation from the catastrophic 2005 storm.
The case also spotlighted misconduct by federal prosecutors. The men had been convicted by a jury in 2011, but U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt set aside the verdict two years later because federal prosecutors leaked information to the media and made anonymous online comments about the case.
The plea agreement means significantly shorter sentences for the former officers, with credit for years already served. It also avoids another long and painful trial.
“Hopefully, today will mean further closure for the victims of these crimes and the city itself,” Judge Engelhardt said.
The case isn’t completely finished. The sentences still must be completed, lawsuits continue and the criminal case of another ex-officer implicated in the cover up was severed from the others and has yet to be resolved.
Four of the former officers have been locked up for nearly six years while the fifth has been out on bond.