Spates Claims Race Led to Verdict

The Iowa Court of Appeals has returned a case in which a Waterloo man was convicted of murder back to district court in order to determine if race played a role in the verdict, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. Doncorrion Spates, who is Black, and his attorneys are seeking a new trial after they say one or two jurors made racially charged comments during the trial such as Blacks are raised to think it OK to kill people, often belong in gangs and are used to committing drive by shootings. Every juror testified that race did not play a role in their decision but the court of appeals has returned the case for an objective determination. Spates was a juvenile when he and three others allegedly fired shots from vehicle into a group of people on Logan Avenue in July of 2016. 21 year old Otavious Brown was killed. The driver Jacques Williamson has pleaded to lesser charges. Shavondez Martin was acquitted. He was shot and killed in 2018. Armand Rollins was also acquitted.