Ferguson prosecutor: 'We don't put a whole lot of stock' in Darren Wilson's testimony
A day after a grand jury declined to indict him for fatally shooting unarmed teenager Michael Brown, Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson was all over the TV, telling his side of the fateful encounter. Wilson also got a chance to recount his version in four hours of colorful testimony to the grand jury, released by St. Louis County prosecutor Bob MuCulloch along with thousands of other pages of grand jury evidence.
Wilson's version of events is quickly becoming the accepted version, at least by people sympathetic to his story, and his testimony "appeared to have helped convince some of the jurors that the officer had committed no crime when he killed Mr. Brown," says The New York Times. But here's how McCulloch rated Wilson's testimony when asked about it in his press conference on Monday night:
Wilson, "the target or suspect, has the most interest in the case," McCulloch noted. "And so we don't put a whole lot of stock — we love to hear from him — but don't put a whole lot of stock, or cannot rely solely upon, that testimony." McCulloch has gotten a fair amount of flak for his handling of the Brown case, including what CNN's Jeffrey Toobin called his "entirely inappropriate and embarrassing" "extended whine" about the news media's coverage and social media. But taking Wilson's testimony with a grain of salt seems like sensible advice.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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