Shamell Naquan Joyner trial takes bizarre turn as jurors uncover suspected drugs and Chinese yuan hidden in evidence

A monthlong criminal trial in Washington’s federal court took an unexpected turn when jurors discovered a Chinese yuan note and a white powdery substance hidden inside clothing that had been presented as evidence.

The items were found during jury deliberations in the case of Shamell Naquan Joyner, who was accused of robbing convenience stores and gas stations across Washington, Maryland and northern Virginia in spring 2023, as well as stealing cars.

The discovery raised questions about how the items had escaped the attention of prosecutors, law enforcement and Joyner’s defence team before the evidence reached the jury.

Jurors discover suspected drugs, Chinese currency

The discovery was made on July 22, the second day of jury deliberations.

The items were found inside a jacket and sweatshirt that had been recovered from one of the carjacked vehicles. The clothing had allegedly been worn by the robber and was admitted as evidence during the trial.

The jury foreperson described the discovery in court the following morning.

“We were looking at (the jacket), and (one of the jurors) reached in the breast pocket and she pulled out — it looked like a receipt, but there was a white powder or white substance inside,” the jury foreperson told the court on July 23, according to a trial transcript obtained by CNN.

“Some of it, kind of, spilled out a little bit, but (a juror) put it back in the pocket and we put it back in the bag,” the juror said.

The jurors also examined a sweatshirt that was part of the evidence.

A juror looked inside one of its pockets and “he pulled out — it was crumpled up — it was a bill … one of the Chinese Yuan bills,” the foreperson said.

The discovery immediately raised legal concerns because the items had not been identified or examined before the evidence was handed to the jury.

Judge calls evidence oversight astonishing

US District Judge Rudolph Contreras, who presided over the trial, expressed concern about the failure to discover the items earlier.

“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,” Contreras wrote in an opinion several days later.

“Mr. Liolos, who I know is from New York, is probably astonished that any money got past the police department,” Contreras said in court, referring to Joyner’s lawyer John Liolos.

The FBI declined to comment when asked how investigators had failed to identify the items.

The DC US Attorney’s Office also did not directly answer questions about how the evidence had been overlooked.

Several longtime Washington lawyers told CNN they had not encountered a case quite like this. Some former DC prosecutors, however, said jurors occasionally discover evidence that was not examined thoroughly by investigators.

Joyner accused in string of robberies

Prosecutors alleged that Joyner robbed 10 convenience stores and gas stations in Washington, Maryland and northern Virginia during spring 2023.

The alleged robberies began in April, with incidents occurring several days apart. Prosecutors said that by May 2, Joyner was allegedly targeting several businesses in a single day.

He was also accused of carrying out armed carjackings on two days linked to the robberies.

The allegations resulted in a 28-count indictment against Joyner in 2023. He was not charged with drug possession.

The case was significant for the US Attorney’s Office. The trial lasted about a month, with jurors hearing testimony over 10 trial days before deliberating for another week.

Joyner had as many as nine lawyers representing him, while three prosecutors handled the case.

Clothing was key evidence in case

The jacket and sweatshirt containing the unexpected items were important pieces of evidence in the case.

They had been recovered from a Toyota that Joyner was accused of stealing. Prosecutors alleged that the clothing had been worn by the robber and linked Joyner to two of the May 2 robberies.

The suspected drugs also appeared to overlap with testimony presented during the trial.

A witness at one 7-Eleven testified that the robber took his wallet, which contained a Chinese yuan note from a college study-abroad trip.

A cooperating witness who drove Joyner separately testified that Joyner had paid him in drugs on the night he allegedly robbed a gas station.

The jacket containing the suspected drugs had allegedly been worn by the robber.

The fact that jurors discovered the items themselves, however, created concerns over whether the evidence could unfairly influence their deliberations.

Judge instructs jurors to disregard items

Following the discovery, Contreras brought each juror into the courtroom individually.

The judge told them that the Chinese currency and apparent drugs were not part of the evidence they were supposed to consider.

Each juror told the court they could set aside the items when deciding the charges against Joyner.

The jurors then returned to deliberations.

Jury deadlocks on 15 charges

The jury reached another impasse several days later.

On the fifth day of deliberations, jurors informed the judge that they could not agree on more than half of the charges against Joyner. The deadlocked charges included five alleged armed robberies and one carjacking.

“The jury remains deadlocked on or unable to vote on the remaining 15 counts in this case,” the jury wrote in a note to the judge.

“Our differences are in the areas of what constitutes a reasonable doubt and in how to determine identity beyond a reasonable doubt … In the absence of additional evidence or testimony, we cannot reach verdicts on the remaining 15 counts.”

Contreras subsequently ended deliberations and accepted a partial verdict.

Joyner convicted on 13 charges

The jury ultimately found Joyner guilty on 13 criminal charges.

The convictions covered an armed robbery in downtown Washington in April 2023, along with four armed robberies and a carjacking on May 2, 2023, in Northwest Washington and Maryland.

The jury’s inability to reach verdicts on 15 other counts echoed challenges the DC US Attorney’s Office has faced in several other criminal trials this year.

“The jury’s verdict ensures the defendant will face a 31year mandatory minimum sentence, making the D.C. community safer with this serial robber off the streets,” a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office said.

Joyner’s defence attorneys have not yet appealed his conviction. They declined to comment, saying the final judgment in the case has not yet been issued.