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BLOOMINGTON -- A McLean County jury on Wednesday cleared a Fairbury man of charges claiming he spewed racial slurs at a black woman and threatened to hang her from a tree after the two argued over a parking space.
Justin Mangler, 22, was acquitted of felony hate crime and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
Defense attorney Jon Backman successfully argued that although his client may have been impolite, he never used racial epithets or tried to intimidate the woman during the argument at Eastland Mall in Bloomington.
The two-day trial featured sharply conflicting versions of the Aug. 29, 2003, incident.
Patricia Morris testified she was about to pull into a parking space when Mangler
darted into the spot she'd selected.
Morris accused Mangler of being rude, but she wasn't loud or abusive, Assistant State's Attorney Clark Rogers said in his closing argument.
Rog
ers said Mangler, who is white, responded with a prof
ane, racist tirade in which he "used the N-word and threatened to hang her from a tree because of her race."
"She was shocked, stunned, scared, threatened -- she had just moved to town," Rogers said.
Mangler left but then returned after he saw Morris writing down his license plate. Rogers quoted him as telling Morris, "You've got to be the dumbest (racial slur) I've ever seen."
In his closing argument, Backman recounted Mangler's starkly different account. He said Morris provoked the argument by yelling at Mangler.
Backman said Mangler surprised Morris by yelling back at her rather than apologizing for taking the parking space. That led to a heated argument but Mangler never used racial
slurs, Backman said, adding that Morris didn't accuse Mangler of using such slurs in her initial statement to a detective.
"She can't remember what he said because he didn't say
any of those things," Backman said.
Backman also said Mangler offered Morris his cellular phone so she could call poli
ce after he saw her recording his license plate. She declined, and didn't report the incident to police until weeks later, Backman said.
http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/061004/n...040610021.shtml
Justin Mangler, 22, was acquitted of felony hate crime and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
Defense attorney Jon Backman successfully argued that although his client may have been impolite, he never used racial epithets or tried to intimidate the woman during the argument at Eastland Mall in Bloomington.
The two-day trial featured sharply conflicting versions of the Aug. 29, 2003, incident.
Patricia Morris testified she was about to pull into a parking space when Mangler
darted into the spot she'd selected.
Morris accused Mangler of being rude, but she wasn't loud or abusive, Assistant State's Attorney Clark Rogers said in his closing argument.
Rog
ers said Mangler, who is white, responded with a prof
ane, racist tirade in which he "used the N-word and threatened to hang her from a tree because of her race."
"She was shocked, stunned, scared, threatened -- she had just moved to town," Rogers said.
Mangler left but then returned after he saw Morris writing down his license plate. Rogers quoted him as telling Morris, "You've got to be the dumbest (racial slur) I've ever seen."
In his closing argument, Backman recounted Mangler's starkly different account. He said Morris provoked the argument by yelling at Mangler.
Backman said Mangler surprised Morris by yelling back at her rather than apologizing for taking the parking space. That led to a heated argument but Mangler never used racial
slurs, Backman said, adding that Morris didn't accuse Mangler of using such slurs in her initial statement to a detective.
"She can't remember what he said because he didn't say
any of those things," Backman said.
Backman also said Mangler offered Morris his cellular phone so she could call poli
ce after he saw her recording his license plate. She declined, and didn't report the incident to police until weeks later, Backman said.
http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/061004/n...040610021.shtml