The jury has reached a verdict in the criminal case against BART officer Johannes Mehserle in the shooting death of Oscar Grant in January 2009.  The verdict will be read from the Los Angeles courtroom at 4pm today.

The jury could either find Mehserle not guilty, or it could convict him of one of thee crimes: (1) second degree murder (15 years to life), (2) voluntary manslaughter (3-11 years), and (3) involuntary manslaughter (2 to 4 years).

The jury’s deliberations were short (about 6 1/2 hours total).  This is generally seen as a positive sign for the defendant, since juries typically take much longer before convicting someone of murder.  This suggests to me a verdict of acquittal or one of the two manslaughter charges.  We’ll see in about 20 minutes.

Regardless of the verdict, please let the demonstrations that follow be peaceful. Edit by Brian: There will be a Peace Rally at Oakland City Hall at 6pm tonight.  Together, we can retain the positive, constructive, and communal spirit of Oakland.

UPDATE: Guilty of involuntary manslaughter.