Agreed on the “complicated case” - over 100 pages of jury instructions has to be daunting to the jury, especially the foreman. I served as foreman on a murder trial a few years ago & we had a much smaller set of instructions. The state had a very strong case & the public defenders had little to use in their case. We were done in an afternoon but there was serious discussion about the “lesser included charges” as options for those jurors who had trouble with closing the jail doors for a long time on the defendant. The instructions were the guidelines to a clear verdict on the case with a very long sentence. I certainly feel for the entire panel & pray they get it right soon.
The written jury instructions were 36 pages.