I think they are working a standard business day so my guess is they are done by 6pm latest tomorrow as they are in at 8:30. Might be they only go to 5:30. I'm sure they take several breaks for potty and smoking throughout the day. Lunch is prob bought in but I don't know if they deliberate through it or not.
It seems that the way juries work is different from state to state. I didn't sit in on a sequestered DP jury but in NYS our jury foreman was selected by the prosecution and defense working together. Also, there was a bathroom in the jury room itself. I can't speak for the other jury members but I took my responsibility very seriously and wouldn't even talk to my family about the trial until it was over. That included out of state family.
Also, lunch was brought in for us, we each ordered our own type of sub sandwich and desert. We decided to stop deliberating during lunch because just before lunch I had gotten into a heated argument with another juror and we decided to cool off.
The argument started because we were instructed that we couldn't consider the degree of penalties in our deliberations only what charges the evidence led to. One guys theory of what we should decide relied heavily on the degree of penalty each person would get. (There were three defendants) I pointed out that we can't consider the degree of penalties at all in our deliberations and he blew up at me. Later on he did the same thing and someone else pointed out to him that we couldn't consider penalties.
Let me try to clarify that better. The three were on trial for possession of pot and an additional charge of selling crack. The guy kept suggesting that we find two kids guilty of pot possession because it was a light penalty (I think a fine) and would teach them a lesson. The third we finally decided to convict of possession of pot and selling crack. The severity of the pot penalty had nothing to do with 11 of us it was just obvious by NYS law that they were guilty of it and not selling crack.
It was interesting the two kids we found guilty of possession had public defenders. The one we found guilty of selling crack too had a private lawyer. When we read the verdict the paid lawyer stood up and said that he found the verdict "Repugnant!!!" :giggle:
It took us only one day to reach a verdict.
When I heard that the jury is composed overwhelmingly of females, my first thought is that they will be less likely to go with 1st degree.
I'm not a woman so maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like women would take the murder of a little girl a lot more emotionally than a man, in most situations. JMO
Great song!
I have a question about your avatar. It seems to be a cat that's been smushed through a pop-tart and is hurtling through space with a rainbow coming out of it's :butthead:
Didn't I hear the lawyers and JP discussing the evidence that would be available to them in the jury room (ie, as if they were going to transfer the evidence there).
Maybe I'm wrong...wouldn't be the first time!
MOO
Mel
I heard the same thing. In my trial all of the evidence, not nearly as much, was in the room for us to look at.