fuck you copper.

3 Found Guilty, 1 Not Guilty in Jude Case
Jenn Rourke

MILWAUKEE -- Three white former Milwaukee police officers were convicted Thursday of beating a biracial man outside a party and violating his civil rights, but the federal jury acquitted a suspended officer in the case.
Prosecutors said the four were part of a group of off-duty officers who beat Frank Jude Jr. outside one officer's housewarming party in October 2004.

The jury convicted fired officers Jon Bartlett, 35, Daniel Masarik, 27, and Andrew Spengler, 28, of violating Jude's civil rights and conspiring to assault him while acting as officers. Each faces up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines when they are sentenced Nov. 29. They will remain i federal custody.

Jude said his plans for the rest of the day are to see his wife and kids and go back to work Jude also plans a $30 million civil suit against the officers soon.

The jury acquitted suspended officer Ryan Packard, 27, of both charges. Jude expressed disappointment in Packard's acquittal but said he was satisfied with the justice of the other three.

Jude called it a bittersweet day but urged the members of the public to be calm and appreciate what happened during the trial.

“I’ve been going through a lot of stress," Jude said. "The truth was told today, what they did to me, how they did it.”

Jude said he was just glad he was still alive. He also said he holds no ill will toward law enforcement.

“There’s good cops and bad cops," he said. "I have nothing against police officers."

"While those who committed this crime were off duty at the time of the incident, I remain saddened and disappointed that anyone who has worn the badge of a Milwaukee Police Officer has disgraced themselves and this entire Department in such a fashion," Police Chief Nan Hegerty said in a press release following the verdicts.

Bartlett's attorney, Gerald Boyle, said after the verdicts that he believes they received a fair trial and that his client was simply a victim of circumstance.

Masarik's attorney, John Smith, said he gave the jury a lot of credit, even though the verdict was not what he wanted.

“We respect the jury’s verdict, since we know they worked very hard, clearly they did," he said. "I’m not gonna be critical of jurors who worked as hard as these folks have Obviously I disagree with it, but I respect it.”

Masarik said the three witnesses who invoked the Fifth Amendment really hurt his client.

"Those three witnesses, consistent with their prior testimony, would have indicated that they did not observe Mr. Masarik anywhere around Mr. Jude," he said. "And so, that was information that, unfortunately by rule, we were not able to put before the jury."

An all-white jury acquitted Bartlett, Masarik and Spengler of most state charges in April 2006. Hundreds marched through downtown Milwaukee in protest.

Six months later, federal prosecutors charged those three and Packard, as well as four others, who have pleaded guilty to similar federal charges.

Jude went to Spengler's home with Lovell Harris, 34, who is black, and two white women. He testified during the federal trial that a group of men surrounded their truck as they left and dragged him out.

Someone in the group punched him repeatedly and kicked him in the groin, causing him to black out at least once, Jude testified. The beating continued even after on-duty police arrived.

Jude testified that he recognized Spengler's voice as the person who threatened him while a gun was put to his head, but admitted he didn't see who it was. He also said he couldn't identify the people who beat him.

Other witnesses said the four officers punched or kicked Jude.

The police department disciplined 13 officers after the incident, including nine who were fired. Two of the fired officers later won back their jobs.

Jude and the others who were with him have sued the officers and the city of Milwaukee in federal court.