Retrial in killing of Bakari Henderson, young American man beaten to death in Greece, delayed again
London — The retrial of a group of men who attacked and killed American Bakari Henderson while he was visiting Greece was again delayed on Wednesday. The attack was captured in a disturbing video as the 22-year-old was beaten to death by a mob outside a bar in 2017.
The next year, nine of the alleged attackers went on trial. Six were found guilty of deadly assault, but no one was convicted of murder for the brutal attack.
A prosecutor in Greece felt the sentences were too lenient, and seven men went back to court on Wednesday morning. But the presiding judge granted the defense team's request for a continuance of the proceedings as no witnesses were able to attend this week. It was the second delay this week: The defense was granted a continuance on Monday due to a lawyer being unable to attend on that date.
The hearing was rescheduled for March 11, and the Henderson family — many of whom did show up to the court on Wednesday — said some of them would be back next month.
As CBS News correspondent Imtiaz Tyab reports, one of the defendants, a Greek barman, has already been acquitted on all charges. But the remaining defendants, all of whom are of Serbian descent, will be back in court in a few weeks as Henderson's family continues their fight for justice.
Bakari Henderson's love for life was as deep as his wanderlust. At just 22, the recent college graduate had already traveled the world. But it was on a night out on the Greek island of Zakynthos that his adventurous spirit was cut brutally short.
Surveillance video from a bar shows a woman speaking with Henderson. She told police she asked to take a selfie with the American, when a man standing nearby said: "There are a lot of Serbians in the bar, why are you talking to a Black guy?"
Henderson was punched, and then attacked by a mob. Just 30 seconds later, he was dead.
At the end of the first trial in 2018, none of the alleged attackers were convicted of murder. Just six were found guilty of the far less serious charge of deadly assault. Since then, at least four have been released from prison.
Speaking outside the Greek court this week, Henderson's parents called for a retrial.
"We decided that the first decision was not fair," mother Jill Henderson said. "We felt they should have been charged with murder."
The original prosecutor who tried the case agreed, and because Greece doesn't have double jeopardy laws like the U.S., a retrial was ordered.
When it does begin next month, it will be watched closely by the highest levels of both the Greek and U.S. governments.
CBS News has learned that Vice President Kamala Harris has taken what's been described as a "personal interest" in the retrial of Henderson's alleged killers, and even discussed the case with Greece's prime minister while she was at the Munich Security Conference last week.
Harris was apparently told that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis would "personally" keep her informed.
