New trial sought in Frederick stun gun death case

Posted: 12:33 pm Fri, February 24, 2012
By Associated Press

FREDERICK — A Frederick man’s parents are seeking a new trial on their civil claim that a Frederick County sheriff’s deputy wrongfully caused his death by shocking him twice with an electric stun gun.

The Frederick News-Post reports that lawyers for Tanya Thomas and Jeffrey Gray filed the motion Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

A federal jury ruled last month that Cpl. Rudy Torres didn’t use excessive force against 20-year-old Jarrel Gray. The jury found that Torres assaulted Gray but said he wasn’t liable because he was protecting himself.

The motion says the verdict contradicted the weight of the evidence. It says Gray posed no threat lying face-down and unresponsive after the first jolt.

Torres’ attorney called the motion a last-gasp attempt to revive the case for financial gain.