Times Meus

Awesometown on March 29, 2008

Jean Claude Meus has been sitting in jail for 5 years. Arrested in 2001 for vehicular homicide he was sentence to 15 years in 2003 for allegedly falling asleep while driving a tractor-trailer and killing a woman and her young child. He has always maintained that he was not asleep and that a vehicle had cut him off causing him to swerve, which led to the accident. There is very little evidence for either case, and many have speculated that he received a disproportionate sentence because he is black.

The most interesting aspect of the case is that the woman's daughters, who survived the accident, support Meus and believe his story, and have said publicly that they would testify on his behalf if they could. The woman's sisters also support Meus and would like to see him set free.

Meus was finally awarded an evidentiary hearing to decide if he deserves a new trial, after the revelation that a key witness had been overlooked. The hearing ended on Wednesday, and the judge announced that he had no intention of making a decision immediately, saying that he wanted to weigh all the options. Meanwhile, Jean Claude Meus sits in jail waiting to find out if he will receive a new trial. Hoping that this time it can be a fair one.