Most Cinematic Verdict: ‘Goodfellas’ Heist Trial Yields Not Guilty for Mob Captain
Reputed mob captain Vincent Asaro was found not guilty on all charges related to the 1978 Lufthansa heist depicted in the Martin Scorsese film “Goodfellas,” according to an article from SI Live.
Asaro, of Queens, was accused of murder, racketeering and planning the $6 million airport heist. Despite testimony from Asaro’s cousin, Gaspare Valenti, a mob informant, and an “exhaustive” six-hour closing argument from prosecutors, Asaro was still cleared. Asaro’s lawyer contested the case hinged on an “elaborate lie” by Valenti.
Most Recorded Verdict: Michigan Cop Guilty of Beating Motorist
Inskster, Michigan, Officer William Melendez was found guilty of assault and misconduct for beating an African American motorist that was recorded by a police dash-cam. Detroit resident and Ford employee Floyd Dent, 58, released a statement through his attorney after the verdict indicating his hope that the incident “will serve to educate the public and reinforce the belief that all lives matter without regard to the color of their skin,” according to an article from the Detroit News.
Melendez faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 10, although he plans to appeal the decision. He did not take the stand in his own defense during the two week trial.
Most Historic Verdict: First Ever Minn. Child Victims Law Case Nets $8.1M Against Church
A Ramsey County, Minnesota, jury issued an $8.1 million award against the Diocese of Duluth in the first case tried under the 2013 Minnesota Child Victims Act. The law removes the statute of limitations allowing victims in decades-old cases to bring suit, according to an article from Kare 11, an NBC affiliate.
The victim, now 52 years old, filed the suit last year claiming the now-deceased Father James Vincent Fitzgerald sexually abused him in the 1970s. The alleged abuse took place at St. Catherine's Church in Squaw Lake. The jury found the Diocese 60% at fault and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Fitzgerald’s religious order, 40% responsible. The article, citing BishopAccountability.org, reports the sum is the largest award given by clergy to a single sexual abuse victim in the history of the U.S.
Most Frightening Verdict: Hearing-Impaired Driver Guilty in ‘Zombie’ Parade Crash Case
Matthew Pocci Jr., 47, faces up to three years jail time after being found guilty of reckless driving and causing serious injury to parade spectators. The incident took place at a zombie-themed parade after last year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, where Pocci was helping other hearing impaired patrons experience the convention, according to an article from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The prosecution alleged Pocci grew frustrated when he was unable to navigate his car around the parade’s spectators and ultimately accelerated and drove over a woman’s arm. The incident was recorded and played for the jury. The defense contested Pocci was worried for his safety and the wellbeing of his car’s passengers causing him to drive accordingly.
He will be sentenced on Dec. 11 and remains free on his own recognizance until then.
Most Gang-related Verdict: $35M Award Tossed Out in Six Flags Beating, New Trial Ordered
A $35 million award was tossed by the Georgia Court of Appeals as jurors were unable to appropriately proportion damages from all responsible parties, according to an article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A new trial has been ordered. The award was the result of the beating of then 19-year-old Joshua Martin at a bus stop outside Six Flags Over Georgia in 2007. Four seasonal employees convicted of assault were ordered to pay $2.8 million in damages. However others may have been involved in the attack.
The jurors were only ordered to consider liability and damages from the theme park and the four individuals convicted of the assault, causing the appeals court to order a new trial. The park has a history of violent incidents, however Six Flags representatives contend the park should not be liable in this instance as the assault took place outside its premises.
The courts disagreed based on the park’s proximity and shared security responsibility to the bus stop as well as its promotion on its website.