I did read (somewhere) that Judge Mudd told the jury they might need this break because the rest of the trial would be "intense". However, you could be right that he didn't say that. It might have been a media article that stated it and we know how inaccurate the media has been.
I've moved over to the new thread ... just checked back here to re-read a post and caught your response.
Mudd definitely used the word "intense." I saw the clip twice.