ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – After five days of trial, a jury has found the Uber driver accused of voluntary manslaughter not guilty. On St. Patrick’s Day 2019, Uber driver Clayton Benedict picked up James Porter and his friend from a brewery.
Investigators say both passengers were drunk, and Porter’s friend threw up in the car. Both sides say Benedict and Porter got into an argument, which led to Benedict pulling over on the side of I-25, where he tried to leave the two men on the side of the road. The situation escalated, Benedict pulled a gun, and shot Porter five times.
During closing arguments Friday, Benedict’s attorneys argued he was in danger of oncoming traffic and from Porter himself. “He acted in self-defense, and he acted in the defense of others, and the state cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he didn’t,” said the defense attorney…