Judge’s Ruling Makes Blades a Free Man

Seattle Seahawk receiver Brian Blades sat motionless, only blinking as a judge ended a family nightmare Monday.

A manslaughter conviction in the shooting death of his cousin was erased. Broward Circuit Judge Susan Lebow in effect ruled the case should never have reached the jury.

She ruled prosecutors hadn’t proved the NFL player acted recklessly or negligently in a struggle for control of his gun, which fired a fatal shot into the chin of his best friend Charles Blades.

When the shock of the judge’s ruling wore off, Brian Blades raised his left hand in the air in a “praise God” gesture as he was hugged by relatives.

“The victory is not mine, it’s the Lord’s. It is a tragedy, a tragedy I’ll have to deal with the rest of my life. I do have faith in the man above, and I’m going to keep serving him,” Blades told Seattle’s KING-TV as he left the courthouse.

Lebow’s surprise ruling erased a verdict reached Friday that could have sent Blades to prison for 10 years.

The directed verdict of acquittal means he cannot be tried again on the same charge. It came on a motion filed by his lawyers before the case went to the six-member jury Thursday.

“The judge recognized that it should never have gone to the jury,” defense attorney Fred Haddad said after Lebow’s decision. “She’s going to get crucified for this, let’s face it. She’s going to get massacred.”

Lebow said her review of case law over the weekend led her to accept the defense contention that the prosecution had not proved its case.

Assistant State Attorney Peter Magrino said he was shocked and disappointed by the judge’s intervention but is confident an appeals court will reinstate the verdict.

“I’ll take the conscience of the community and I’ll rely on their judgment,” he said.

Charles Blades, 34, was shot to death when he tried to defuse an argument between Brian Blades, 30, and his younger brother Bennie, also an NFL player, after the three went drinking to celebrate the Fourth of July last year.

Bennie Blades, a safety for the Detroit Lions, said outside the court that the family was elated and thankful the case was over. “God shows up just when you want him,” he said.

Seahawk Coach Dennis Erickson said he was “extremely happy” for Brian, saying he believed the judge would recognize the shooting as an accident.

“He’s going to have to live with it the rest of his life,” Erickson said. “It’s always going to be there.”

The judge had been expected to discuss a woman juror who said shortly after the verdict that she had changed her mind. But Lebow made no mention of the juror.