A month-long criminal trial in Washington’s federal court took an unexpected turn when jurors made a shocking discovery. The trial of Shamell Naquan Joyner, who was accused of holding up seven 7-Elevens and other gas stations, had been proceeding as expected. However, during deliberations, jurors found a Chinese yuan in one sweatshirt and suspected drugs in a jacket, both of which were key pieces of evidence.
Discovery Raises Questions
The discovery of the Chinese yuan and suspected drugs has raised questions about how these items were not found by law enforcement earlier. The judge, Rudolph Contreras, expressed surprise at the oversight, stating that the court shares the defendant’s amazement at the failure to uncover the evidence. The FBI declined to comment on how the evidence was missed.
The trial has been a significant one for the US Attorney’s Office, with the jury hearing testimony from witnesses over 10 trial days. The jurors ultimately found Joyner guilty of 13 criminal charges, including armed robbery and carjacking. The verdict ensures that Joyner will face a 31-year mandatory minimum sentence.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
