A Charlottesville District Court judge acquitted rising fourth-year College students Gonzalo Carrion and Joaquin Bueno of misdemeanor assault and battery charges.
Carrion and Bueno were found not guilty on April 28 of assaulting University graduate Shahnawaz Khan at a March party at La Casa Bolivar, the Spanish House.
"We were very happy," Carrion said of the verdict.
Police arrested Carrion and Bueno after they fought with Khan when he tried to enter a Spanish House party that had reached maximum capacity.
According to Carrion, the judge said in his verdict that because Khan had trespassed, and forcibly entered the house, Carrion and Bueno were acting in self-defense.
Carrion said another factor in the acquittal was the fact that when Khan was on the stand, he told a different account of the fight than the one he told the University Judiciary Committee earlier in the semester. Carrion said his lawyer introduced the UJC hearing records as evidence when he was questioning Khan. Carrion and Bueno were sanctioned by the UJC but are currently appealing.
"I'm happy that my name has been cleared," Bueno said. "The facts spoke for themselves."
"I believe that justice was served in court," he said.
Carrion said Khan has threatened to file a civil suit to pay for his $1,500 medical bills but has not done so.
Khan could not be reached for comment.
Read More
‘It’s never boring’: Charlottesville’s mayor reflects on his first term, plans for his second
By Cecilia Mould | 18 hours agoWade was reelected to the City Council by voters in November and was reappointed as mayor by fellow City Council members last month.
Meredith Collier reflects on successes and challenges during term as ISC president
By Abigail Larkin | YesterdayCollier revamped the Panhellenic Counselor or “Pi Chi” training program, and a program called “Emerging Greek Leaders” that aims to give the newest member class of each sorority more of a voice in the ISC.
Student Council hears from U.Va. Wise student body president William Rudeseal
By Margaret Nichols | 2 days agoStudent Council convened for its weekly general body meeting Tuesday, where they heard an opening address from William Rudeseal, SGA president and fourth-year College at Wise student.
