State Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement Agent Michael Walker was found not guilty of manslaughter in San Jose on December 13th after a six week trial. He was charged with shooting Rudy Cardenas, a 43 year-old father of five, as Cardenas tried to run away after a car chase through downtown San Jose. Walker thought at the time that he was chasing another man. The verdict was met with disappointment and outrage. 60 gathered on the evening of the 13th at the spot Cardenas was killed in downtown San Jose. Rudy's daughter Regina Cardenas, speaking for the family and their supporters, said she is "...completely appalled. We didn’t think [acquittal] was a possibility at all."

Indybay reporter Peter Maiden covered the trial and wrote an in-depth report called Justice Denied: A History of the Walker Trial.
Indybay's Previous Coverage of the trial | Past Indybay Coverage of the Cardenas Case