State of Louisiana v. Antwain Donal Bell, Docket No. 190,114

Antwain Donal Bell was charged by Grand Jury Indictment with the September 1, 1997 Second Degree Murder of Rodney Bryant. He waived his U.S. Constitutional right to trial by jury and elected to be tried in a bench trial. On November 20, 1998, trial was held; and after considering the physical and testimonial evidence, Judge Crichton ruled that the prosecution had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty. Specifically, the Court ruled that while Mr. Bell shot and killed Mr. Bryant (who sported a tattoo “coup de gras”, meaning death blow or final killing wound), Mr. Bell acted in self defense, a legal justification under Louisiana law. Antwain Donal Bell was therefore found not guilty. To listen to the ruling, go to Podcasts and play the audio (which lasts about 20 minutes). It illustrates the fact-sensitive inquiry that the trier of fact should make along with the application of law to the evidence.

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