District attorney says Ronald Greene grand jury imminent; mom says sham

District Attorney John Belton said he intends to convene a special grand jury within weeks to seek indictments against State Police troopers and possibly Union Parish Sheriff's deputies who he believes committed crimes in the violent, fatal arrest of Ronald Greene, but Greene's mother said she has little faith in Louisiana's justice system.

Greene, who was Black, was brutally beaten and died during a State Police arrest in 2019 following a two-parish, high-speed chase that ended in a car crash in Union Parish near Monroe.

"I can't give you a specific date, but it will be sooner rather than later," Belton told USA Today network.

Greene's mother Mona Hardin said the length of time that has passed without a single arrest connected to her son's death is an indictment on everyone from Belton to Gov. John Bel Edwards to the top brass at State Police and extends to federal justice department officials who never advanced the case to a grand jury.

Greene's family:Ronald Greene's grieving family still waiting for justice: 'It's an ugly, lurking evil'

"My son was tortured, beaten, tased and died within minutes at the hands of State Police, but we've waited more than three years without a single arrest," Hardin said. "It's shameful. It's a disgrace."

Hardin believes prosecutors, politicians and police were complicit in an ensuing coverup that fell apart when videos of the arrest were made public.

"Everybody walked hand in hand until it became public and they could no longer turn a blind eye; everybody was aiding and abetting," she said. "Now they all want to speak out? Belton can act like a good Joe, but it's one big sham. None of them wanted anything to do with me or my son until it became public."

The coverup:High-ranking Louisiana State Police officers confirm coverup in Ronald Greene's death

During a series of summer hearings conducted by a special Louisiana House committee formed to investigate Greene's death, a high-ranking State Police official testified that he was asked to conceal evidence in the case and the agency's use-of-force expert described the arrest as "torture and murder."

Belton also testified during the hearings that he believes state and federal crimes were committed, including federal civil rights violations. He called the video of Greene's arrest "the worst thing I've ever seen."

More:Governor John Bel Edwards saw Ronald Greene arrest video months before prosecutors

Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder of Gonzales said he expects the committee to meet twice more before the end of the year, though no specific dates have been set. "The committee has been able to shed light on what happened, but we will keep pushing forward until we're able to find out the whole truth," he said.

Belton said he delayed prosecution on state charges until federal justice department officials released him from an earlier commitment to wait until their investigation was complete.

More:State Police brutality expert believes Ronald Greene was tortured, murdered during arrest

More:Former Louisiana State Police chief reaches deal to avoid contempt charge for now

"The feds haven't closed the door on prosecuting, but they haven't said they will," Belton said. "I just received the FBI's and U.S. attorney's reports and files a few weeks ago and we've been going through them carefully. They are large files, but we're almost finished with them. Once we complete that, I'll take it to a grand jury."

Hardin said she won't stop fighting for justice.

"It has made me stronger than I ever thought possible at 71 years old," Hardin said.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.  

This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: District attorney says Ronald Greene grand jury imminent; mom says sham