People v. Drew

The defendant, Samuel Drew, was indicted for the offenses of theft and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Following a jury trial, he was acquitted on the theft charge; however, the jury was “deadlocked” on the possession charge. The trial court declared a mistrial, and subsequently, a jury was selected for the defendant’s second trial. After the jury was sworn, the defendant moved to dismiss the jury on the basis that black prospective jurors were systematically excluded from serving on the jury because of their race. The defendant argued that the State used six peremptory challenges…