Three former officers due in court Monday.
Former Houston police officers Drew Ryser, Philip Bryan and Raad Hassan are scheduled to be in court for pre-trial hearings Monday, they too faces charges of official oppression in the Chad Holley beating case.
It’s the same charge an all-white jury acquitted fellow officer Andrew Blomberg of last week, setting off a series of protests inside and outside the District Attorney's office and prompting a Friday meeting between some activist and DA Pat Lykos.
Blomberg's defense attorney Dick DeGuerin says those actions could impact the next three trials as well.
"That's going to make it tougher, ironically, to seat any minorities on the jury because they've been whipped into frenzy and may not be impartial," says DeGuerin.
South Texas College of Law's Gerald Treece agrees.
"Getting a fair trial is going to be a direct function of getting people who can put behind them what they believe at this point, and judging the case by the evidence," he says.
Treece says that me be tough because expects a carryover of tempers from the Blomberg verdict.
"They can probably get a fair trial, but a change of venue may be on the table," he says. "The big story to me is that you're going to have to get people to show up for jury duty."
Things really heated up during the Blomberg trial when local black activists accused police of intimidation by packing the courtroom with uniformed officers.
DeGuerin says just like any other citizen, they too have a right to attend.
"It’s a free and open courtroom and anyone is entitled to be there," he says.
Meanwhile, a town hall meeting will be held Monday night in response to the Blomberg case. It begins at 6pm at the S.H.A.P.E. Community Center at 3903 Almeda Rd in Houston.
