Castile girlfriend acquitted of serious charges in attack

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A jury has acquitted the girlfriend of Philando Castile of serious charges in an assault on a woman last year.

Jurors on Friday acquitted 28-year-old Diamond Reynolds of felony second-degree and third-degree assault. Reynolds was convicted of misdemeanour fifth-degree assault, a count that was added at the end of her weeklong trial.

Reynolds was sitting next to Castile when he was fatally shot during a July 2016 traffic stop by then-St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez. Reynolds livestreamed the bloody aftermath of the shooting. Yanez was acquitted by a jury last year.

Authorities alleged Reynolds was involved in an unrelated attack in St. Paul just months before she was to testify at Yanez’s trial. Her attorney tells the Star Tribune he’ll ask for probation at Reynolds’ sentencing in May.

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com