Marcus And Markieff Morris Found Not Guilty In Assault Trial

Marcus and Markieff Morris were acquitted of aggravated assault today, more than two years after they were first charged with helping to beat up a former acquaintance outside a high school basketball game.

Marcus, who plays for the Celtics, and Markieff, who plays for the Wizards, were accused of working with three other people to beat up 36-year-old Erik Hood outside a Phoenix high school tournament in January 2015. (Both brothers played for the Suns at the time.) They were found not guilty on all counts, as was a third person, their childhood friend Gerald Bowman. Two other men have already pled guilty to the beating.

Hood’s lawyer argued that the Morris twins beat up his client due to a grudge over a text message in which Hood made what was interpreted as a sexual comment about their mother. The twins’ lawyer countered that Hood had falsely accused the pair only to try cashing in on a payout with plans to later file an additional lawsuit against them.

[ Arizona Republic]