Michigan v. Budzyn Budzyn Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter Background Special Report Video Index Feb. 18 Update Feb. 19 Update Feb. 20 Update Feb. 23 Update Feb. 24 Update Feb. 25 Update Feb. 26 Update Mar. 2 Update Mar. 3 Update Mar. 4 Update Mar. 5 Update Mar. 6 Update Mar. 9 Update Mar. 11 Update Mar. 16 Update Mar. 18 Update Verdict After almost 22 hours of deliberations over a little over four days, a Detroit jury found former police offficer Walter Budzyn guilty of lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter in his second trial. During Budzyn's first trial in 1993, he was convicted of second-degree murder and received an eight to 18-year sentence. Budzyn expressed no emotion as the verdict was read. Under Michigan law, involuntary manslaughter carries a sententence ranging from probation to 15 years in prison. Budzyn has already served four years in prison, and under Michigan guidelines, he may have already served any sentence he is likely to receive. Budzyn will be formally sentenced on April 17. View the Budzyn verdict. Download Realplayer The altercation between Green and officers Budzyn and Nevers occurred on Nov. 5, 1992, when the defendants pulled him over, and Green refused to unclench his fist and show them what he was holding. (A few witnesses and Budzyn testified during the retrial that Green was hiding crack from the officers.) Budzyn had maintained that he was not involved in Green's fatal beating and suggested that his partner Larry Nevers was really responsible for the death. He had claimed that he did not even see the beating but only heard a couple of thumping sounds that sounded like blows to Green. The beating death of Green sparked immense public outrage as blacks called the Malice Green case "Detroit's Rodney King." The first trial of Budzyn, which came just months after the King acquittals and riots, further divided an already racially-divided Detroit. Budzyn's second trial has not been nearly as racially-charged, and there have been very few public protests. Budzyn and Nevers were convicted for the murder of Malice Green during their first trials in 1993. Budzyn's original conviction was overturned in 1997 when it was revealed that his jury was prejudiced by a viewing of the film Malcolm X, which opens with a videotape of the Rodney King beating. The Michigan Supreme Court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial. --Bryan Robinson top of page