A decide cleared an Ohio girl of a carjacker’s homicide in a case wherein her attorneys asserted that she wouldn’t have been charged with a number of counts of homicide and assault had she been white and the carjacker been Black.
Leeyonna Ward, 22, was charged with the homicide of 24-year-old Preston Allman on Might 1, 2021, in accordance with The Columbus Dispatch.
Prosecutors mentioned that Ward was assembly a person for a drug deal in a parking zone that night time. When she parked her automotive, a witness bought in and sat within the passenger seat. Then, Allman bought into the again seat behind Ward and pressed a gun to her neck.
That’s when Ward hit the fuel whereas exiting the automobile on the similar time whereas it was nonetheless in drive. After the automotive crashed right into a constructing, the witness took off. Then, Ward got here again to the automotive, and as Allman pointed what later emerged as a BB gun at her by way of the window, she fired off two photographs, one in every of which hit Allman, police mentioned.
Not solely was Ward charged with one homicide cost for Allman’s dying, however she was additionally charged with felony homicide, involuntary manslaughter, non-felony assault, felonious assault, elevated drug trafficking, and possession of medication with a gun specification.
Her lawyer, Joseph Landusky II, claimed self-defense on this case. He instructed The Dispatch that the one purpose Ward was dealing with homicide fees was as a result of she was Black and he was white.
“When you simply change the colour of the individuals, if my consumer’s a white girl and shot a Black man carjacking her, I’d guess all the pieces I owned that this case by no means would’ve gotten indicted,” Landusky mentioned.
Landusky additionally said that Allman and one other man set Ward as much as carjack her at gunpoint, and no cash or medication have been exchanged.
Within the bench trial, the decide solely discovered Ward responsible of tampering with proof with a gun specification and improper dealing with of a firearm since she threw away her gun, which was by no means discovered. State legislation in 2021 prohibited her from carrying a loaded gun in her automotive. She’ll be sentenced later for these convictions.
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