Criminology and Criminal Justice: Analysis of Slager Case (Report)

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Michael T. Slager case, focusing on the events surrounding the shooting of Walter Scott. It details the charges against Slager, the evidence presented, including the eyewitness video, and the roles of key individuals such as Slager, Scott, and the witnesses. The report outlines the court proceedings, the arguments made, and the final outcome, including the sentencing of Slager to 20 years imprisonment for second-degree murder. It also discusses the dismissal of other charges, such as the inappropriate use of a firearm and violation of Scott’s civil rights, and concludes by reflecting on the case's significance within the context of criminal justice and civil rights. The report references relevant sources to support its claims and provides a clear understanding of the case's complexities and implications.

Running head: CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE 1
Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice
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CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE 2
Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice
Introduction
Murder is an unlawful killing of another person either intentionally or not. Usually, most
societies consider murder as a serious crime that deserves the harshest punishment possible.
Usually, the punishments vary from state to state. In the Case Michael T. Slager, there is proof of
murder which should be punishable by law.
Statement of the Case
Case Summary and the Crime Committed
Michael T. Slager case is a case that involved an ex-cop shooting a black, Walter Scott
(Sokolove, 2017). It happened on April 4, 2015 in South Carolina specifically at North Carleston
after Scott was stopped by Slager at a daytime traffic because of a non-functioning brake light.
Scott was unarmed and after he tried escaping, the police officer fatally shot him five times on
his back. Slager then took his Taser and planted it next to Scott. He handcuffed Scott’s hands and
watched him die and later lied that he shot Scott following a struggle for the Taser.
Unfortunately a video surfaced showing how he shot Scott who was fleeing contradicting his
police report. Slager was thus charged with murder by a South Carolina grand jury in June 2015.
In January 2016, he was released on bond. Later in the year, he was indicted on federal charges
which included obstruction of justice and violation of civil rights. The following year he was
found guilty of the charges and further returned to jail pending sentencing and the charges were
later dropped. Finally, in December 2017, he got sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
Level of Court

CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE 3
Michael T. Slager case was assigned the federal level of court. The federal courts also have an
important role just as the state courts except that they have limited powers on the kinds of cases
they can decide (Osunsami, 2016). The federal courts defend most basic rights, including the
equal protection and the right to speech. Therefore, this court system was selected because it was
a federal question involving diversity of citizenship because Slager was white and Scott was
black.
Primary Characters and their Roles
Michael Slager – The police officer accused of murdering Walter Scott.
David Aylor – Slager’s original lawyer.
Feidin Santana – An eyewitness who provided the evidence of a recorded video showing the
proof of what exactly happened when Slager committed the crime.
Clarence W. Habersham Jr. – An eye witness who was also seen in the video with gloves trying
to examine Scott after he was shot by Slager.
David C. Norton – The U.S. District Judge deciding the case for Slager.
Charges against the Defendant and the Evidence Presented
Michael Slager was charged with murder on April 7. On May 11, 2016 he was charged
for illegally using his weapon during the commission of a crime and violating Scott’s civil rights
(Harris & Osunsami, 2016). Aside from that, he was also charged with obstruction of justice
because he lied to the state investigators the he shot Scott when he was moving towards him with
a Taser. Nonetheless, these charges were later dismissed and finally on December 7, 2017, Judge

CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE 4
David Norton charged him with second-degree murder and sentenced him to 20 years
imprisonment.
The evidence provided was a video recorded from a phone of an eyewitness who later
shared the video with Scott’s family and the news media with the help of Black Lives Matter.
Witnesses
The court called 31 witnesses in the case each for a reason (Osunsami, 2016). For instance:
Feidin Santana was called as a result of the video proof provided to Scott’s family and the media
concerning the murder of their son.
Clarence Habersham was called to testify about the truth because he was also seen in the video.
Argument
Outcome of the Case
Michael Slager was charged with second-degree murder after dismissal of the other
charges. Slager was then sent to 20 years imprisonment. Nonetheless, the verdict was not
appropriate following the fact that the court dismissed the charge of inappropriate use of firearm
and violation of Scott’s civil rights. The video evidence provided in court was clear that Slager
committed murder and lied to the court. As a result, Slager was entitled to a life sentence or a
death penalty because without dismissal of the other charges, he had committed an offense of
first degree murder according to UMCJ Article 118 Clause (1) or (4) (Osunsami, 2016).
Conclusion

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Michael T. Slager case took some time to be decided in court. The case was clearly a
first-degree murder case where Slager, a white, fatally murdered a black known as Walter Scott.
The case was argued in federal court because it involved the abuse of civil rights and diversity.
Based on the evidence provided and the argument, Judge Norton however, argued that Slager
was guilty of second-degree murder and further led him to a 20-years imprisonment.

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References
Harris, D., & Osunsami, S. (2016). Jury tells judge it's deadlocked. Good Morning America
(ABC), 1.
Osunsami, S. (2016). Federal charges. World News With Diane Sawyer, 1.
Sokolove, M. (2017). What does it take to convict a cop?. Mother Jones, 42(2), 16-28.