LOS ANGELES — Former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle was found guilty Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter for killing Oscar Grant III early Jan. 1, 2009 and was immediately handcuffed and sent to jail.
Mehserle, 28, was also found guilty of a gun enhancement charge which could make him ineligible for probation, give him a strike under the state's "Three Strikes Law," and add additional years to his sentence which will be decided, next month, by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry.
Mehserle faces between five and 14 years in state prison — at least two, three or four years with the involuntary manslaughter charge plus three, four or 10 years on the gun enhancement charge. In addition,
Mehserle will also be forced to serve 85 percent of his eventual sentence, a much higher standard than most crimes.Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said the jurors' findings showed they did not buy Mehserle's explanation that he meant to use his Taser. Nonetheless, she said, she was disappointed and frustrated by the verdict.
"As you are well aware, we believe that Johannes Mehserle was guilty of the crime of murder," she said. "We presented the case that way, we presented the evidence that way, and the jury found otherwise. But it is important to note that this jury did not relieve Johannes Mehserle of his criminal liability."
Mehserle remained unemotional as the jury's verdict was read but both his parents