ST. PAUL, Minn. (July 11, 2016) — Judge Glenda Hatchett and The Hatchett Law Firm will represent the family of Philando Castile in all civil legal matters related to his tragic homicide after a traffic stop. Castile was killed by a police officer on July 6, 2016 in Falcon Heights, Minn. His death, recorded by his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds, went viral on social media. The police officer who killed Castile, Jeronimo Yanez, is on administrative leave.
Hatchett, the host of the nationally syndicated television show, “Judge Hatchett”, served eight years as former Chief Judge of the Juvenile Court of Fulton County, (Atlanta) Ga. In a statement Monday Judge Hatchett said she will aggressively represent Castile’s family in its pursuit of justice.
“I am deeply concerned about what seems to be an epidemic of African-American men being killed by police officers. We have often seemed demonstrations and debates and I raise the critical question, ‘When will there be systemic reform?’ Reform such that, citizens are not in fear of their lives when stopped and questioned by the police,” Hatchett said.
Castile was a school nutrition services supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori School. The 32-year-old had no prior felony arrests. He was well respected among his colleagues. Students remember him as funny, warm and kind.
“Valerie Castile and her family are very passionate and committed to ensuring that Philando’s death is not just another statistic,” Hatchett said. “She wants her son’s death to mark a time in this country’s history where reform becomes less about rhetoric and more about reality.”
