Jury hangs on Lakaysha Redd
As promised, here's the verdict, sort-of, on the Redd case.
SAN FERNANDO - A jury found Lakaysha Redd guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter and other charges on Friday, but declared itself hung on the crucial count - murder.
It was a bizarre case from the start, stemming from a 100-mph chase of former lovers through the streets of Northridge on May 27, 2006. Prosecutors alleged the then-17-year-old Redd pursued her ex-girlfriend, Shayla Phillips, 22, causing the panicked woman to plow through an intersection. Her Lexus SUV hit a Metro bus and two other cars, killing her and injuring four others.
Jurors at San Fernando Superior Court agreed that Redd was a stalker and reckless driver, but split right down the middle on the murder charge. The prosecution now has until Feb. 21, when Judge Burt Pines scheduled Redd's sentencing on the other charges, to decide whether to retry the murder charge.
"I think it's a victory for the defense," said Ronald D. Hedding, the Encino attorney who represented the Compton teen. "She wasn't trying to kill Shayla Phillips. She wanted to talk to her because they had a relationship."
Keep reading, if you're so inclined, at dailynews.com.
It's tempting to focus on the tabloidish details, but, talking with Phillips' family, it reminded me that, at heart, this is a story about a family that lost a loved one, and quite a few other folks who got banged up, too. Definitely a shame, all around.
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