Peter Liang Sentencing Postponed Until April 19

Akai Gurley’s aunt speaking in front of Brooklyn criminal court in 2015. Photo via NYersAgainstBratton/Twitter

UPDATE, Friday morning: Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Danny Chun has denied Liang's motion for a mistrial, according to the Associated Press. "Chun said Thursday that he didn't believe [juror Michael Vargas] knowingly withheld the information" about his father having served jail time. Liang is still scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, April 19. Read more here.

Original story below.

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN, NY — The sentencing of former NYPD officer Peter Liang has been postponed until April 19, as hearings continue over whether a juror lied about his background during jury selection.

Liang was a rookie cop patrolling a stairwell at the Louis Pink Houses in East Near York when, in November, 2014, he fired his gun, striking and killing 28-year-old resident Akai Gurley.

The former officer was found guilty of manslaughter in February — a crime that carries a possible 15 year jail sentence.

But in March, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson recommended that Liang serve no jail time, instead asking for a sentence of five years of probation, six months of home arrest and 500 hours of community service.

Liang's sentencing had been scheduled for April 14. However, his attorneys moved for a mistrial last week, accusing juror Michael Vargas of hiding the fact during jury selection that his father did jail time for an accidental shooting.

According to the New York Post, when Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Danny Chun asked Vargas during the selection process if anyone close to him had been accused of a crime, Vargas hedged, and said: "Through the years you meet friends and they do silly things."

Vargas also told Chun that he didn't have any "close family" who had been accused of a crime, according to the Post.

But Vargas reportedly told a different judge earlier that same day that his father spent time in jail.

Vargas was on the stand himself this week as court officials cross-examined his past statements. (And in the meantime, Chun postpone Liang's sentencing to next Tuesday.)

The juror has defended himself against accusations from Liang's legal team — asserting that he knows little, if anything, about his father's conviction due to their estranged relationship.

Liang's lawyers also presented a 2014 Facebook post from Vargas which they allege shows an anti-cop bias.

The post is a photo of Staten Island father Eric Garner dying in police custody, with the caption: "Everytime police kill an unarmed person they bring this country one step closer to a revolution." (See below.)

However, more recent Facebook posts by Vargas — including ones he posted before and after his honesty was challenged by Liang's lawyers — seem to show support for the police.

Image shared on Facebook by Michael Taska