Update On Race Relations

Well, the trial in Decatur that I referenced yesterday has ended up with a guilty verdict after less than 30 minutes of deliberations. (The verdict came down around 3:00 p.m.) From what I can tell, the case involved the defendant striking the victim in the head with a baseball bat during a wedding type of event at Runaway Bay. I have no idea what prompted the altercation although I know the jury was instructed on the law of self defense (that didn't work.) I saw the victim in the courthouse today and he had a nasty scar on his head. The "punishment phase" is now underway. The jury could go as low as probation or as high as 20 years in prison. The defendant has no criminal history, spent 10 months in jail awaiting trial, and has been evaluated in Vernon at the request of his mother. Edit: We have a punishment verdict as of 5:20 p.m. The jury granted the defendant probation (he'll be on it for 7 years) and assessed a $5,000 fine. It was a fair and just verdict. A probation violation can (and would) lead to seven years of incarceration. Lead defense counsel was Earl Dobson out of Denton.