Posted on 06/08/2006 1:09:30 PM PDT by OrangeDaisy
BREAKING NEWS: Jury Returns With Guilty Verdict Posted: 6/8/2006 2:48:00 PM Updated: 6/8/2006 3:06:31 PM
After three hours of deliberation on Wednesday and nearly five hours on Thursday, the jury in Perry March’s murder-for-hire trial found March guilty on all counts.
Perry March walked into the court room Thursday afternoon at 2:30. His demeanor was relaxed. There were several people in the court room waiting for the jury to deliver the verdict including police officers, the March family, and the Levines.
The jury found March guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, and guilty on two counts of solicitation to commit murder.
The jury of nine women and three men heard this week heard testimony and hours of secretly recorded conversations between Russell Farris and Perry March.
In the conversations, the two men planned in detail the murder of Lawrence and Carolyn Levine. Farris, while working with the police, told March he would be released and was willing to kill the couple for him. A motive surfaced. Perry March told Farris he figured he had a 70 percent chance of beating the rap that he killed his wife. Without the Levines, those odds would have gone up to 90 percent.
In several parts of the conversations, March gave Farris advice on how to kill the Levines.
Perry March: You have to wait for the opportunity when they’re together.
Farris: Yeah.
Perry March: And then you leave no trace of evidence.
Farris: The idea of making it look like, you know, a burglary, a robbery, that’s good.
There were also recorded conversations between Farris and March’s father, Arthur March.
Perry March told Farris to get in touch with his father, Arthur March, in Mexico. He even devised a code name for the murder.
Perry March: So, here’s what you’re going to do. Once you establish a rapport with my dad, OK?
Farris: OK.
Perry March: When you’re ready, it’s going to be, you’re going to have my dad send a message though an e-mail, which is: ‘Bobby Givings is going to buy the BMW.’
The defense argued it was Farris' idea to kill the Levines and pushed Perry March into hiring him as a hit man.
Perry March did not testify in this trial. He took the stand Wednesday around lunchtime but only to say that he did not intend to testify.
The jury recieved instructions Wednesday night. After deliberating for three hours Thursday, the judge sent them back to the hotel. On Thursday, the jury deliberated for a few more hours before returning with the guilty verdict.
Prosecuting attorneys were pleased with the verdict. Sentencing will take place on July 20th.
News Channel 5's legal experts, Nick Bailey says the charges will be merged because he can only be sentence on the conspiracy charges. Baily predicts he could face 15 to 25 years.
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