CINCINNATI -- "There will be no justice until we have a conviction."
Two separate groups rallied in Cincinnati Monday to call for a new murder trial of ex-police officer Ray Tensing.
One group -- the Countdown to Conviction Coalition -- held a demonstration in the lobby of Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters' office lobby. The group was met by uniformed police officers and the demonstration ended peacefully.
The group issued demands that Deters immediately retry Tensing in Hamilton County and also demand "a revamped jury selection process."
The other group -- the Cincinnati Black Clergy -- held a press conference outside Deters' office shortly after the other demonstration ended. Prominent area minister Bishop Bobby Hilton spoke for the coalition at the press conference and announced a set of demands on behalf of the DuBose family.
"We call out and we ask Mr. Deters, please make a decision to retry this case quickly," Hilton said. "We would like to hear from Mr. Deters one week from today."
Deters is required to make a decision whether or not to retry before Nov. 28.
Tensing's yearlong murder trial ended Saturday in a mistrial. After 25 hours of deliberation, the 12 jurors could not agree on a verdict. Four jurors said Tensing was guilty of murder; eight said he was guilty of voluntary manslaughter.
"We are actively speaking with the jurors to find out what happened," Deters said on 700 WLW Monday. "We'll make a determination whether or not there's a probability of success at trial."
Mathews said he's troubled by city leaders and activists' reactions to the mistrial.
"It seems like everybody wants to build a gallows out in front of the courthouse and skip a retrial. Let's just hang Ray Tensing," Mathews said. "Their definition of justice is a conviction. My definition of justice is let the process play out and we'll see what happens in a courtroom."
