Yesterday (December 4), Mychal Bell, a black teenager whose prosecution in the assault of a white classmate led to one of the largest civil rights protests in recent years, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of battery.
The 17-year-old, who was originally was charged as an adult with attempted murder in December 2006, had the charges reduced before a jury convicted him in June of aggravated second-degree battery. That verdict was overturned in appeals court in September and ordered that Bell be retried as a juvenile.
Under this new deal, Bell pleaded guilty to a juvenile charge of second-degree battery in return for an 18-month sentence, with credit for 10 months he already has served. Although he has about eight months left to serve for the battery charges, Bell is currently serving a separate 18-month sentence for previous unrelated juvenile charges. He has about 16 months left on that sentence, which will run concurrently with the sentence in the battery case.
Bell‘s lawyers state that In addition to jail time, the defendant has been ordered to pay court costs plus $935 to the victim’s family. He must also testify should his co-defendants in the battery case stand trial, and finally undergo counseling and be reintegrated into the school system.
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“We were prepared to go forward with the trial, but you have to do what’s best for the client,” said Carol Powell Lexing, one of Bell‘s attorneys. A juvenile court trial was to begin later this week.
The charges against Bell and five other black students from Jena, Louisiana, who became known as the “Jena 6,” led to a civil-rights demonstration in Jena in September when protesters became outraged at what they considered to harsh charges that did not fit the crime committed.
Felony charges against the other students are pending.
