Simone Biles’ brother Tevin was acquitted of all charges Tuesday after being accused of shooting and killing three men at a 2018 New Years party, according to NBC News.
An Ohio judge allowed a motion by lawyers for Tevin Biles-Thomas to dismiss the case based on insufficient evidence. The judge said that, among other things, the witness’s description of the clothes worn by the shooter was “at best 75% accurate”.
Biles-Thomas was arrested in 2019 and charged with murder after police said he shot three men at a New Years party at an Airbnb rental in the Cleveland area. Three victims – Devaughn Gibson, 23, DelVaunte Johnson, 19 and Toshon Banks, 21 – all died from multiple gunshot wounds. Gibson was Biles-Thomas’ cousin.
Biles-Thomas initially faced 15 charges related to the incident. A judge declared the trial canceled at the first trial last month over a paperwork issue.
“It should be remembered that Tevin not only suffered for two and a half years to defend himself, but he also lost a loved one,” Biles-Thomas lawyer Joseph Patituce said, via NBC News.
Biles-Thomas rushed by victim’s mother after ruling
The scene in the courtroom became tense after the ruling was released on Tuesday.
A mother of one of the victims charged against Biles-Thomas after the trial was dismissed and screamed.
“You must be laughing at me,” she shouted, by NBC News. “I’m going to kill you.”
Officers in the courtroom arrested the mother, who has been identified as Johnson’s mother.
“We do not blame the family of the victim, it was a horrific event,” Patituce said, via NBC News. “We don’t blame the victim’s family for taking action.”
Biles would not have grown up with her brother, as she and her younger sister lived with their maternal grandfather in Houston and Biles-Thomas and their other brother moved to Cleveland with another relative.
Biles released a statement about his brother’s arrest, but has been silent on the whole situation since. The four-time Olympic gold medalist, who just won her seventh American title, is currently preparing for the Tokyo Olympics next month.
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