Posted on 08/21/2018 9:13:11 AM PDT by janetjanet998
Judge T. S. Ellis III said he would call the jury into the courtroom to reply to its question. The jury’s note to Judge Ellis asked: “If we cannot reach a consensus on a single count, how should we fill out the verdict sheet?” It went on to ask what the issue would “mean for the final verdict?”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Properly interpreting the NYT: Hung jury on all counts.
“If we cannot reach a consensus on a single count, how should we fill out the verdict sheet?”
If you and your wife are given 18 colors to choose from to paint a room, and you can’t agree on a single color, it means you can’t agree on any color you were given.
But they may have just worded it badly.
I hope I’m wrong, I think 17 are guilty and one is hung.
That’s the likeliest scenario. He’ll probably be convicted on some of the charges, it likely wouldn’t be an all or nothing affair.
That they cannot agree on any of the 18 charges.
Of course, my sense from the beginning was that there were going to be some on the jury that were just going to rubber stamp the prosecution, because that's what tends to happen, unless there is some Perry Mason/Gotcha kind of moment during the trial. But the prosecution really didn't prove this case, and it's highly complicated, so I think there is a split between the rubber stampers, and the more thoughtful jurors who are saying that this all doesn't add up.
I can't read, none of the conclusions make sense to me. I suppose I'll wit, hope he gets off but my gut says no.
Yesterday the jury asked the judge if they could deliberate for a little while longer. This explains why. They have decided on 17 counts.
The way I read this, they can’t agree on any of the 18 charges. “We can’t Agee on a ‘single’ damn thing”, in other words.
yes if one read just t he first half of the note..but they added this:
And what will that mean for the final verdict? We will need another verdict form.”
isn’t there a Verdict form for each count? I don’t understand
Which is why so many charges. Keep throwing crap at the wall and something will stick.
Make it complicated enough and some stupid jurors will make the assumption that complicated means guilty.
Assume people are stupid. You will be correct more than not.
So they agree on 17 of 18 and can’t agree on 1? What the neck could that be?
Overzealous prosecuters!!!
Possibly the most serious one.
If the verdict was guilty on all counts except for 1, then they could easily figure out that voting not guilty, or hung on that one count would be good enough.
The opposite is more likely. They likely agree he’s not guilty on 17 counts and a few of them think he’s actually guilty on 1 count, then that’s the count that will keep them deliberating.
Interesting news. I won’t speculate on the trouble the jury is trying to express, but it would help if they used the language that the Judge gave them in the instructions. The verdicts must be unanimous - not in a consensus. Consensus is merely a general agreement; unanimity requires all to agree.
Most judges I’ve got experience with would send back the answer to keep deliberating, and refer to the instructions for their answer.
Gwjack
"single" i.e. any?
I’m guessing that the jury does not agree on any of the counts.
That can be read several ways. One of whuch is: “We can’t agree on any single count.” I say they return all 18 counts as not guilty.
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