In this timely trial update from The Clay Edwards Show, defense attorney Scott Gilbert — who just secured Ted DiBiase Jr.’s acquittal — sits down with Clay to break down the latest in the high-profile Capitol Police manslaughter case involving officer Michael Rhinewalt and Jalen Lewis.

 

Gilbert reveals the cases have now been consolidated and are set for trial in May. Without discussing specific evidence, he explains the unusual charging theory in the indictment: the officers reasonably believed they were in imminent danger when Lewis drove his vehicle toward them, yet prosecutors argue that belief was unreasonable — a rare legal concept called “imperfect self-defense” normally used only as a jury instruction to reduce murder to manslaughter.

 

He walks through key use-of-force principles: how a vehicle can legally be treated as a deadly weapon, why officers (or any citizen) don’t have to wait until they’re physically struck to defend themselves, and why this indictment is so uncommon. Clay shares his strong view that the officers were fully justified, drawing parallels to similar vehicle attacks nationwide.

 

A clear, no-spin look at self-defense law, vehicle-as-weapon cases, and one of Mississippi’s most watched police incidents heading into trial. Essential listening for anyone interested in law enforcement accountability, use-of-force rulings, or criminal justice in the state.