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Kim Potter "crying" on the stand and smiling in her mugshot

How it’s going vs. how it started for Kim Potter. | Source: Hennepin County Sheriff and Court TV screenshot

Call it a tale of two biddies.

Kim Potter‘s new smiling mugshot following her convictions on Thursday for the first- and second-degree manslaughter killing of Daunte Wright provided even more reason to doubt the sincerity of the former Minnesota cop’s histrionics during her emotional testimony during the trial.

The jury that decided Potter’s fate apparently found her excuse for purportedly mistaking her Taser for an actual gun to be equally if not more implausible than her unconvincing dramatics while alleging remorse for the preventable shooting that took the life of a 20-year-old Black man who had been stopped for a minor traffic infraction.

Potter’s mugshot — which shows her smiling broadly; showing teeth, even — drew a glaring contrast between her countenance while she was testifying in her own defense last week. The difference was more than enough to suggest it was tantamount to confirmation the 49-year-old was acting on the stand, just like she also must have been acting in the immediate moments after shooting Wright on April 11, people suggested on social media.

The reason for being suspecting Potter’s feigned remorse was clear: how could someone go from sobbing about being “sorry that it happened” six days earlier before pivoting to smiling shortly after being convicted for two serious felonies that carry prison time of up to 25 years and $50,000 in fines?

Did she know the jail photographer and the two shared a laugh?

Was she secretly relieved that she was only accused and convicted of manslaughter instead of facing the murder charges advocates were calling for in the days after the shooting?

The overarching question people seemed to have when seeing Potter’s new mugshot was, what could possibly compel someone convicted of manslaughter and facing certain prison time smile moments later?

“Really?!” journalist Roland Martin posted to his Instagram along with a photo of Potter’s mugshot. “This woman deserved to be convicted.”

Critics suspected Potter was acting on the stand when she appeared to be crying — despite the absence of any tears — because she would only coldly refer to Wright as “the driver” instead of using his name to actually try to humanize the man whose life she took. She became overcome with emotion when her defense attorney was questioning her, but during cross-examination, Potter became steely and issued one-word and curt answers in apparent resentment.

That is until the prosecution showed video footage from the shooting, which seemed to serve as a cue for Potter to begin showing emotion.

In the end, whether appearing to cry was a ploy or not, Potter’s defense obviously did not hold up in court and she was convicted and immediately remanded to the custody of the Hennepin County Sheriff while she awaits sentencing.

Luckily, though, Potter isn’t unhappy to be in jail, as shown by her mugshot. Chances are she’ll need that positive outlook to navigate her time behind bars.

SEE ALSO:

Justice For Daunte Wright: Kim Potter Found Guilty On All Counts

Kim Potter Appears To Cry While Testifying, But No Tears Actually Came Out Of Her Dry Eyes

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