BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Clinton Township man's first-degree murder conviction was overturned Tuesday after it was revealed that a juror "made racist statements while deliberating" if the defendant was guilty or innocent.
It is alleged that the juror stated that the defendant was "just another n***** off the street," according to a release.
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Terry Lamont Wilson, 26, will stand trial again for an alleged altercation in 2013 at Drewry Park that resulted in the death of another man.
Wilson claims self-defense in the incident.
In 2014, Wilson was sentenced to life in prison. His appeals were unsuccessful. His family then retained new representation with Attorney Wade Fink of the Birmingham-based law firm Wade Fink Law, P.C.
Wilson's attorney uncovered that a middle-aged white man who was a juror on the case made statements during deliberations that indicated "deeply held racial biases."
A motion of relief was filed from judgement in the Macomb County Circuit Court and was approved. The motion cited language from the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that "American courts
employ the ‘unmistakable principle’ that ‘discrimination on the basis of race, ‘odious in all aspects, is especially pernicious in the administration of justice.’”
A new trial date has not been announced.
