KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Tuesday a Kalamazoo jury convicted Charles Pickett, Jr. of killing five and critically injuring four bicycle riders in a June 2016 crash.
After the verdict, two of the survivors joined about two dozen friends for a 20-mile bike ride.
“The last week and a half has been physically and emotionally draining,” explained crash survivor Jennifer Johnson. “Excruciating, actually. So, this is very healthy and a good release.”
And it was also Tuesday. Tuesday is when the Chain Gang always meets for their weekly ride. It was a Tuesday when Charles Pickett, under the influence of drugs, ran nine of them down on a suburban Kalamazoo road. But the survivors say the post-verdict ride was not a typical Tuesday.
“To have the trial turn out the way it did and to cap that off with a wonderful ride with the Chain Gang, it was a very fitting day,” says survivor Paul Gobble.
“I was a little apprehensive about riding on the road,” says survivor Jennifer Johnson. “But it felt like the proper celebration.”
The judge says he is going to sentence Charles Picket, Jr. for his crimes on June 11. It is a Monday. But even though it is not Tuesday, members of the Chain Gang say they will be crowded into the courtroom together to see Pickett punished.
“It is never going to change what he has done,” says Johnson. “But it was the best possible outcome.”
“I’m grateful the jury found he was responsible,” says Gobble. “His actions cost 5 people their lives.”
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