The Hennepin County medical examiner has officially classified the death of Philando Castile as a homicide. Castile was shot by Jeronimo Yanez, a Minnesota police officer, during a traffic stop last week. The last moments of his life were captured via Facebook Live by his fianceé Diamond Reynolds as their 4-year-old daughter sat in the back seat. Now that justice for his murder will be sought out in court, Judge Glenda Hatchett, of her self-titled daytime court television show, has stepped up to represent the Castile family.
Thank you…I will make sure that justice bends in the direction of the righteous! https://t.co/ExjUIFdgCh
— Judge Hatchett (@TheJudgeHatchet) July 11, 2016
“I am deeply concerned about what seems to be an epidemic of African-American men being killed by police officers,” Hatchett said. “We have often seen demonstrations and debates and I raise the critical question, ‘When will there be systemic reform?'” Glenda Hatchett is a graduate of Emory University School of Law, a former chief judge of Fulton County Juvenile Court in Atlanta, and is a founding partner of The Hatchett Firm, which specializes in “catastrophic accidents, wrongful deaths, medical malpractice, reputational and marketing risks, and product liability.” Her daytime television show Judge Hatchett ran for eight years before it was canceled in 2008.
Hatchett and Valerie Castile, Philando’s mother, have reportedly scheduled a news conference at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul for this morning (Jul. 12) where they will discuss funeral arrangements for Philando and their expectations for their case.