The Denver District Attorney, Beth McCann, has decided to drop all charges against Stephan Long, a man previously accused in a road rage incident on Interstate 25 that claimed the lives of two brothers, Damon and Blake Lucas. As reported by KDVR the case, which had once charged Long with first-degree murder for the death of Damon Lucas, witnessed the dismissal of the murder charge in Blake's death earlier.
Long's supporters have argued that his prosecution was a product of racial bias, maintaining that Long, who is Black, should never have been charged in the killings of the white Lucas brothers. According to Hastings Tribune, the Denver DA stated that "the evidence establishes a strong and valid self-defense claim" for Long, and his guilt was not provable beyond a reasonable doubt.
On the heels of the dismissal, Amber Rivera, mother of Damon and Blake Lucas, indicated plans to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit or defamation charges against the Long family. However, the Long family, in conjunction with the Denver Justice Project, had previously submitted around 500 letters urging the DA to drop the remaining murder charge, as noted by Denver7. The Denver Justice Project praised the dismissal, suggesting it "could set an important precedent in the legal system, paving the way for fairer and more equitable treatment for all."
After the dismissal was made public, Long's family requested a modicum of privacy. "We want to take this time to be with family and cherish this moment of freedom," Stephanie Clifton, Long's mother, said as per Denver7. This case, while concluding with the discharge of Long, continues to invoke conversations about racial dynamics within legal proceedings and the broad spectrum of self-defense claims.
