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Ex-'Idol' Hopeful Acquitted of Assault
« on: Nov 14th, 2003, 1:27pm » |
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Ex-'Idol' Hopeful Acquitted of Assault
(Friday, November 14 10:54 AM)
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Jaered Andrews, a former "American Idol" contestant who was removed from the show after being charged with assault, has been found innocent of the charge.
A jury in Mercer, Pa., deliberated for about two hours Thursday (Nov. 13) before returning the innocent verdict. Andrews, 24, of Austintown, Ohio, didn't comment as he left the courtroom, the AP reports.
Andrews was charged with assault following a fight outside a bar in Farrell, Pa., northwest of Pittsburgh, in November 2002. A police report on the incident said Andrews was celebrating his advancement into the second round of "Idol" auditions with friends when they got into an argument with 39-year-old Thomas Blakely.
At his trial, Andrews testified that he punched Blakely in self-defense. Blakely fell, hitting his head on the sidewalk, and later died as a result of the trauma from the fall. Andrews said Blakely had fondled a female friend who was passed out.
The producers of "American Idol" removed Andrews from the show without explanation in January after he had been chosen as one of 32 semifinalists. Andrews has said the assault charge caused him to be booted.
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