 Subsequently, Darden was charged with murder and robbery.Darden, who was black, had an all-white jury at his trial, which took place in January 1974.The state had intentionally excluded black people from serving on the jury, a practice that was later declared unconstitutional in 1986, and a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Harry Blackmun, would later declare that the jury selection in Darden's case was improper and violated his constitutional rights.