Oregon standoff: All defendants found not guilty
Update: The jury reported to the court Thursday afternoon that it has reached consensus on all but one charge. The jury sent a note to the judge that members have "exhausted all discussion" and can't come to an agreement, and that "further deliberation would not help."
Deliberations started anew Thursday morning after the federal judge in the conspiracy trial against Ammon Bundy and six co-defendants welcomed a new juror and told the reconstructed 12-member jury to "disregard entirely'' past discussions and begin fresh.
"Starting over may seem frustrating,'' U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown told the jurors in court. "Do not let it discourage you.''
Brown directed the jurors not to speculate or discuss the reasons why they'd been reconfigured, with Juror 11 replaced by Juror 18. The judge dismissed Juror 11 on Wednesday, a day after a fellow juror questioned his impartiality in a note to the court, submitted on the third day of deliberations.
"That's happened. That's passed,'' Brown said.
She urged the group to start all over, "as if the previous deliberations have never occurred.''
The judge also reminded the group that unanimous rulings are required for a verdict, as to each count in the case.
Ammon Bundy and six-co-defendants are charged with conspiring to impede federal employees at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge through intimidation, threat or force stemming from the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Four of the seven defendants are charged with possessing guns in a federal facility. Two of the defendants each face an additional charge of theft of government property.
http://www.oregonlive.com/articles/19554190/judge_welcomes_new_juror_direc.amp
= new reply since forum marked as read
