Ex-Cop Plead Guilty to Killing Unarmed Black Man.
BROWN: Happening now in Charleston, South Carolina, Michael Slager who shot and killed an unarmed black man during a traffic stop just pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge after insisting it was self-defense. Slager shot Walter Scott in the back five times during the 2015 encounter. This incident was caught on tape and reignited nationwide protests over police killings of black men. Slager pleaded guilty to one felony count using excessive force. Other charges, including the state murder charge, were dropped. His state murder charge ended in a hung jury and was declared a mistrial. Slager could be sentenced up to life in prison. Joining me to discuss is Paul Butler, professor at Georgetown Law School. Convictions are rare for police officers when it comes to on-duty killings.</s>PAUL BUTLER, PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN LAW SCHOOL: That's right. Brown: So, what do you think happened with this plea deal? Do you think he knew he was going to lose this civil case?</s>BUTLER: Most criminal defendants end up pleading guilty but cops are the exception. They usually are not prosecuted. When they are prosecuted, they usually prefer to take their chances with the jury. Well, officer Slager did that and it didn't work out so well for him. He got a mistrial but reportedly this split was 11 for conviction, 1 for acquittal. So, the state promised to retry him. Officer Slager had to be concerned if he was con convicted of murder, he would face the death penalty. Death is off the table. It's even unlikely that he'll get the maximum punishment, which is life in prison.</s>BROWN: What could his sentence be?</s>BUTLER: Under the federal law, if you accept responsibility, which means plead guilty, you get points, which means you get time taken off your sentence. The prosecutors have worked out other arrangements for him to be punished for a lower level offense. The judge doesn't have to go for this but frequently they do. Both defense attorneys and prosecutors like plea bargains. You never know what will happen when put before a jury.</s>BROWN: Paul, thank you for your analysis. Up next, an FBI translator gone rogue marrying an ISIS fighter she was assigned to investigate. The stunning story up next.