Grand jury in Ferguson shooting is being investigated for alleged leaks

The St. Louis County prosecutor is currently investigating o potential leak by a grand juror in the case of Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown back in August. The county prosecutor’s office received a tip on Wednesday morning which suggested that a juror may have discussed evidence in the case with a friend.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a woman with the Twitter handle @thesusannichols tweeted on Wednesday, “I know someone sitting on the grand jury of this case. There isn’t enough at this point to warrant an arrest.”

Grand jurors are routinely reminded that they must keep the proceedings secret, and can’t share them with anyone, including close friends and family. Grand jurors are also told not to read or watch media coverage on the case that they’re hearing.

The panel of 12 grand jurors, 9 men and 3 women, will decide whether to file an indictment against Officer Wilson, who killed Mr. Brown on August 9. They began hearing the evidence in the Wilson case on August 20, and have until January 7 to make a decision since a judge in St. Louis County granted them a 60-day extension.

“If a grand juror has leaked details of the proceedings, the case could continue with the current jury,” said Peter A. Joy, a professor at Washington University law school in St. Louis. “If something like that is proven, then the most likely result would be that that grand juror would be removed from the grand jury.”

Read more about the story at The Washington Post.