Martel Lee, a 16-year-old found guilty of second-degree sexual assault, will get a new trial after a judge declared a mistrial.
Based on juror letters and court records, the judge vacated the previous guilty verdict, saying there had been a "miscarriage of justice."
Since Lee was initially found guilty, a series of inconsistencies had led not only the community to question Lee’s conviction but also three jurors who heard the case.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim changed key details of the incident multiple times and briefly recanted their statement.
Court documents show one juror wrote a letter to the judge after the verdict, saying she felt "bullied" into voting for a guilty verdict. She also stated some jurors would "sleep and lock themselves in the bathroom" to avoid participating in discussions.
Other documents reveal that jurors who leaned toward a not-guilty verdict were told by those favoring a guilty verdict that they would "make the decision for them so they could all go home."
Watch: Jurors and community question guilty verdict in Kenosha teen's case
"Enough is enough. We can’t stand for this in our community, and we can’t have our boys, our young ladies, and our community in fear of the justice system," said Kenny Harper, city alderman.
Lee was accused of sexually assaulting a classmate in a bathroom at Indian Trail High School in April of this year. He was tried as an adult this summer and found guilty. Lee has been in prison since his arrest last spring.
Tanya McLean from Leaders of Kenosha said they will "stand in support of 16-year-old Martel Lee to help share his story."
Jennifer Jones, Lee’s mother, said she hopes the judge will grant a new trial. "Anybody can clearly see that my son is innocent. Read the original criminal report, and you'll see my son is innocent," Jones said.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November 26.
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Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.