CHEROKEE, N.C. (WLOS) — A federal jury in Asheville has acquitted a Cherokee man of first-degree murder and related charges, ending a case that centered on whether he acted in lawful self-defense in a fatal shooting.
The jury returned verdicts of not guilty on all counts for Derrick Alan Cucumber at the U.S. Courthouse in Asheville on Thursday, Sept. 3, per a release from Frank Lay, Cucumber’s criminal defense attorney. The trial was held before U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger.
The law firm said Cucumber was held in pretrial confinement for about 22 months while awaiting resolution of the charges. After the verdicts, he was released and returned home to his family…