New Jersey Department of Corrections
Given a dispute over whether prosecutors improperly excused African-American jurors, a state appeals court today overturned the conviction of a man serving a 67-year prison sentence for a 2005 shooting that left one man dead and injured two others.
The appellate judges ordered a new trial for Saladin Thompson after finding a Superior Court judge failed to analyze whether the prosecutors’ actions represent “impermissible discrimination.”
Thompson, 33, formerly of Irvington, was convicted in January 2007 of murder, attempted murder and related charges in connection to what prosecutors said were a pair of random shootings in the township on July 8, 2005.
At about 10:30 p.m., Thompson and a co-defendant, Erik Gordon, shot Tony Andrews for no apparent reason as he was sitting on a porch on 21st Street, prosecutors said.
Thompson and Gordon then fled to a Chinese restaurant on 16th Avenue, where, for no apparent reason, they shot Nibal Green as he was waiting for take-out food, prosecutors said.
The gunshots exited Green’s body and struck a cook in the leg, prosecutors said. Green later died from his injuries.
Source: Star Ledger |
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