As if the Bronx criminal courts needed more scathing press, the DA's office is investigating a claim that a female juror attempted to sway her peers to acquit an accused murdered because she was smitten with him.
Last summer 21-year-old Katheryne Diop voted to find Devon Thomas not guilty in the shooting death of a 24-year-old man. The trial resulted in a hung jury, perhaps on the part of Diop, and she has since appeared in court to support Thomas for his subsequent court dates, even blowing him a kiss in court when he was convicted of first-degree manslaughter last month. The Post's sources on Rikers call Thomas, 28, a "charismatic guy," and say that Diop "visits him more often than his own family."
Thomas was sentenced to 25 years in jail for killing Abdoul Toure in the Bronx in 2008. Toure's mother, Aissata Diane, is convinced that Diop played a part in delaying justice for her son. “She put us through a whole new trial," Toure tells the Post. "It was devastating to us. We had to relive it all over again. It was like [our son] dying again."
Diop admitted to visiting Thomas, but denied voting to acquit him because of a crush. “I’m not the reason for the hung jury or the mistrial. I had no relationship with Devon before or during the trial. That’s impossible. I could get in trouble for that."
