CBS-5 Poll Finds Support for Mehserle Verdict
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS-5) -- A CBS-5 KPIX-TV poll of Bay Area residents released Friday found that a majority either agreed with the involuntary manslaughter conviction for former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle, or felt he should have been convicted of a lesser crime.
The poll, conducted for CBS 5 by polster SurveyUSA, showed 42% believed the involuntary manslaughter conviction was correct and 11% actually felt he should have faced even a lesser charge than manslaughter.
Only 34% of those surveyed felt Mehserle should have been convicted of a more serious crime, while 11% said he should not have been convicted at all.
Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter last week for fatally shooting an unarmed passenger early in the morning on Jan. 1, 2009.
A clear majority of those polled, 66%, believe Mehserle should have to serve some jail time for his conviction. But 25% felt he shouldn't get any jail time; 9% were unsure.
Mehserle, 28, faces up to 14 years in prison for shooting 22-year-old Oscar Grant III on a platform at Oakland's Fruitvale BART station after he responded to a fight on a train. Sentencing is now scheduled for Nov. 5.
The CBS 5 poll of roughly 400 Bay Area adults familiar with the Mehserle case was conducted Friday and has a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points.
