Greek Court indefinitely Postpones Retrial In Texan Bakari Henderson's Death
ATHENS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Phil and Jill Henderson made the trip all the way from Texas to Greece only to have a court indefinitely postpone the retrial of seven suspects on murder charges over the 2017 fatal beating of their son, Bakari Henderson.
The postponement was granted following a request by some of the defendants' lawyers, who were trying separate cases on the same day.
Monday's postponement was the second, after the court in the western town of Patras deferred the case last week to give the newly hired lawyer representing the dead man's family time to familiarize himself with the case.
Bakari Henderson, a 22-year-old from Austin, died after being beaten in the street following an argument in a bar in the Laganas resort area of Zakynthos island in western Greece. Video footage from a security camera showed Henderson running down the sidewalk and being pursued. One man tackled him, throwing him onto a parked car before others joined in the beating.
Six of the suspects -- five Serbian nationals and a British man of Serbian origin -- were initially convicted by a first instance court last year and sentenced to between five and 15 years in prison, but four have since been released. The seventh defendant, a Greek barman, was acquitted. A public prosecutor had ordered the retrial of all seven, deeming the sentences too lenient.
The Patras court didn't immediately set a new trial date.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)