On September 26th, the first court date in the trial of State Bureau of Narcotics Agent Michael Walker for the murder of Rudy Cardenas was held. After jury selection, the trial will begin on October 19th, and should last some 6 weeks. Walker is accused of manslaughter in the February 17, 2004 shooting of Cardenas, in the back, as he fled from the agent. Cardenas was unarmed. It was thought Cardenas was another man, David Gonzales, who was sought on a parole violation—Cardenas only “fit the description.” The activism of members of the Cardenas family led to an open Grand Jury hearing in the case, which resulted in the manslaughter indictment. The prosecution is confidant a jury will convict Walker, but the police tradition of “shoot first and ask questions later” is a strong one, and police are rarely punished. Indybay reporter Peter Maiden provides background to the upcoming trial, which will be closely watched by police brutality activists and the general public. Read Story
Peter previously wrote a two-part piece on how the San Jose Police deal with the mentally ill.
Read Part One | Read Part Two