Overview
- The not-guilty verdict, returned Oct. 31, followed Edwards’ admission that he stabbed Gregory Howard Jr. during a July 7 encounter near the Union Station MAX stop.
- Transit surveillance without audio shows Edwards approach with a fixed-blade knife, a brief scuffle after Howard stands and pushes him, and a stab to Howard’s shoulder.
- Police body-camera audio captured Howard using the N-word after officers arrived, with Edwards testifying the slur came before the stabbing and Howard insisting it came after.
- Prosecutors argued the slur was irrelevant to self-defense and said Edwards initiated and controlled the confrontation, while the defense framed his actions as a fearful response.
- Both men are homeless and have criminal histories, and Edwards had faced a potential Measure 11 sentence; police arrested him shortly after the 9:30 a.m. incident.