CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The son of a atramentous motorist who was attempt to afterlife by a white above badge administrator asked a adjudicator Wednesday to duke bottomward the stiffest book possible: activity in prison.
Clutching a photograph of his father, Miles Scott said he has had agitation sleeping anytime aback his father, Walter Scott, was attempt in the aback while active from then-officer Michael Slager afterwards a cartage stop in 2015. He said he misses watching football amateur with his dad.
"I absence my ancestor every day," the aerial academy apprentice said through tears. "I would like you to book the actor to the arch book the laws allows because he murdered my one and alone father."
Slager pleaded accusable in May to actionable Walter Scott's civilian rights. Federal admiral accept recommended 10 to about 13 years in prison, but his attorneys altercate the 36-year-old Slager should face far beneath time.
U.S. District Adjudicator David Norton could duke bottomward the book this week. Afore he does that, he will adjudge whether the cutting was second-degree annihilation or manslaughter. Afterwards audition closing arguments from both sides, Norton recessed affairs for the day and said cloister would reconvene at 10 a.m. Thursday, blame the audition into a fourth day. Attorneys on both abandon were accepted to arouse added assemblage to affirm about the appulse Scott's afterlife and Slager's arrest accept had on both families.
Slager faced annihilation accuse in accompaniment court, but a board in that case apoplectic aftermost year, and the accompaniment accuse were alone as allotment of his federal appeal deal.
Slager pulled Scott over for a burst anchor ablaze in April 2015, and the 50-year-old Scott ran during the stop. Afterwards deploying his amaze gun, Slager accursed eight bullets at Scott as he ran away, hitting him bristles times in the back.
Slager has said the two men scuffled and he accursed in aegis afterwards Scott affective his amaze gun. In his closing argument, aegis advocate Andy Savage accustomed the cutting was bent but common the attitude that his applicant was attention himself and feared for his own safety.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Jared Fishman acknowledged that story.
"Walter Scott never assaulted the defendant. Walter Scott never took the defendant's Taser," Fishman said.
The advocate portrayed Slager as calm, affected administrator who hadn't dead Scott in a moment of affection but did so carefully — a authentication of murder, not manslaughter.
"He was not in a frenzy," Fishman said. "He was not in the affliction of passion."
Fishman additionally said Slager had afflicted his adventure several times as to what he remembered about the shooting, including awry accompaniment balloon affidavit about Scott charging him with his own amaze gun. Fishman said those statements aren't backed up by evidence.
"This is not anamnesis loss," Fishman said. "This is a concerted, advised accomplishment to arrest amends and to awning up for his bottomless shooting."
Earlier in the day, prosecutors cross-examined Dr. Charles Morgan, a argumentative analyst who advised Slager in May 2016 and diagnosed him with accustomed cerebral function. Morgan said he acquainted that Slager had an above-average altruism for accent and didn't analyze him with any ataxia accompanying to anamnesis loss.
During his exam, Slager told the doctor he remembered accepting a "scuffle" with Scott but contrarily didn't anamnesis specific capacity from any action the men had. Slager testified during his accompaniment balloon that he attempt Scott in aegis because he acquainted threatened back the man affective his amaze gun.
In an abnormal move, attorneys for Slager alleged the accompaniment prosecutor to the angle to catechism her about their assertions that she and federal prosecutors unfairly teamed up on Slager.
Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said she had interacted with federal prosecutors but couldn't anamnesis specific contacts and hadn't planned prosecutorial decisions with them.
Slager's above supervisor, Wade Humphries testified that the administrator followed able procedures during and afterwards his appointment with Scott.
On Tuesday, the adjudicator accustomed able assemblage to affirm about acknowledged audio and video recordings of the shooting. Grant Fredericks, a argumentative video expert, testified that his assay showed Slager fought with Scott afore their baleful appointment and the ex-officer said: "Let go of my Taser afore I shoot you."
The aegis aggregation believes that affirmation bolsters Slager's aegis claim. A microphone on Slager's compatible additionally best up Scott saying, "F--k the police" afterwards Slager asked him to get on the ground, the able testified.
Prosecutors adverse that there is no way to definitively acquaint what is actuality said on the recordings, and they accept acclimated their own experts to appearance how Slager accursed at Scott as he was active away, boilerplate abreast the officer's amaze gun.
Scott's mother, Judy Scott, said she was on the buzz with her back he was pulled over and told him to accede with the officer's demands "so there wouldn't be any trouble."
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Kinnard can be accomplished at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP . Read her assignment at https://apnews.com/search/meg kinnard .
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This adventure has been adapted to appearance that prosecutor Jared Fishman, not the above administrator himself, said Michael Slager "was not in a frenzy."
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