During the criminal trial of Shamell Naquan Joyner, jurors in Washington, DC, discovered a suspected packet of drugs and a Chinese yuan banknote hidden inside clothing that had already been admitted into evidence. The items were previously not identified by investigators or prosecutors before trial.
The blunder led US District Judge Rudolph Contreras to question the law enforcement and how they missed the items. The judge said, “The Court shares Mr. Joyner’s amazement at law enforcement’s failure to uncover the Chinese Yuan, note, and powdery substance in the physical evidence.”
Despite the unusual discovery, the jury later convicted Joyner on 13 charges and remained deadlocked on 15 others.
1. Joyner faced a sweeping robbery and carjacking case. Federal prosecutors accused Joyner of carrying out a string of armed robberies at convenience stores and gas stations across Washington, Maryland and northern Virginia during the spring of 2023.
According to prosecutors, the alleged crime spree escalated between April and early May 2023. Joyner was also accused of stealing vehicles during two of the incidents. Authorities ultimately brought a 28-count federal indictment against him. He was not charged with drug possession.
2. Joyner's jacket, which was part of key evidence, contained unexpected items. The trial took an unusual turn during jury deliberations.
While examining clothing presented as evidence, jurors found a folded piece of paper which looked like a receipt and contained a white powdery substance inside a jacket pocket. Another juror found a Chinese yuan banknote inside a sweatshirt pocket.
The jury immediately informed court staff, which then opened up major legal questions for Joyner. Judge Contreras criticised the investigative oversight after learning about the items.
The judge later confirmed that neither item had been identified or introduced during the trial.
3. The white powdery substance and the Chinese currency raised fairness concerns for Joyner. The objects' discovery raised immediate legal issues because they were never introduced during testimony.
Joyner was already connected to two alleged robberies by the clothing. Jurors' decisions might have been unfairly affected if they had taken into account the hidden objects as extra evidence.
Each juror was questioned separately by Judge Contreras. Each juror stated that they could ignore the unanticipated findings and base their verdict only on the material that was admitted.
4. Witnesses to Joyner's robbery placed the items found by jurors at the scene of the crime. Prosecutors pointed out that both money and narcotics had been mentioned in trial testimony, even tho the objects were not officially considered evidence.
A witness stated that during a study abroad trip, a victim of robbery misplaced a wallet containing Chinese yuan.
After one robbery, Joyner paid him with cocaine, according to testimony from another cooperating witness. Even tho jurors were told to disregard those prior claims, prosecutors contended that they indicated why the discovery garnered attention.
5. Joyner received a partial verdict. After nearly a week of deliberations, jurors informed the court they could not agree on more than half the charges. The panel said that the members disagreed about reasonable doubt and identification evidence.
Judge Contreras accepted a partial verdict.
Joyner was found guilty on 13 charges, including several armed robberies in mid-April 2023 and four armed robberies and one carjacking in May 2023.
The jury remained deadlocked on 15 counts, which were left unresolved. Prosecutors said the convictions alone carry a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 31 years. Joyner's attorneys have not appealed because sentencing has not yet concluded.
Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More
