Bonds jury ends second day without verdict

[Auggie]

MercuryNews.com / April 11, 2011

With lawyers sometimes nervously wandering the halls, peering at their smart phones for a hint of progress, the federal jury in the Barry Bonds perjury trial on Monday finished another day of deliberating without reaching a verdict.

The eight-woman, four-man jury will return to federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday morning to begin their third day of deliberations. The jurors have been methodical, asking to review two crucial pieces of evidence and clearly sorting through the legal wrinkles in the case before deciding the home run king's fate.

Bonds, 46- faces three counts of perjury and one count of obstructing justice for allegedly lying to a federal grand jury in December 2003 about using steroids.

On Monday, the jurors began their deliberations by getting testimony read back in the courtroom from one of the prosecution's chief witnesses, Kathy Hoskins, Bonds' former personal shopper. She testified she saw Greg Anderson, Bonds' former personal trainer, inject Bonds in the stomach, which would be the only firsthand account of such an encounter.

LINK: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17820881?nclick_check=1

I like that they're keying-in on Kathy Hoskins' testimony. That could be good news.

[JonLP24]

1. Always a good sign

when juries aren't rushing for a verdict one way or the other imo.

[Auggie]

2. Yes...

I've heard that from trial lawyers

On edit: That one piece of testimony could address one Grand Jury perjury count -- the one where Bonds testified no one gave him an injection other than his doctors. It's incriminating for lying about who shot him up but doesn't address if that one shot contained a banned substance. So Bonds can be nailed for lying about the shot but not the steroid use.

[joeybee12]

3. I also agree...it's not the slam dunk the defense thought...

I think this could indicate guilty on some counts, not guily on others.

[El Supremo]

4. No verdict on third day.

Question: Do any of these charges require a unanimous decision to convict? If so he is probably going to get off on some.

[Auggie]

5. Unanimous -- yes.

From si.com / Updated April 7th, 2011

The 12 jurors will deliberate as long as it takes all 12 to agree, on each count, that Bonds is guilty or not guilty. Their deliberation could take minutes, days or weeks. If only one juror is unconvinced of Bonds' guilt on a count, the jury will not convict Bonds on that count. Jurors also enjoy flexibility in their deliberation schedule; they will choose their own hours for deliberation and, with Judge Illston's permission, can even deliberate after hours or on the weekend.

If jurors have questions during their deliberation, they can ask Judge Illston, with attorneys for both sides provided an opportunity to hear any questions.

What happens if the jury can't make a decision?

If the jurors cannot come to a unanimous verdict on each count, they would inform Judge Illston that they are deadlocked. In that circumstance, she would likely instruct the jurors to reconvene and for the dissenting jurors to carefully consider why the other jurors feel the way they do.
At the same time, Judge Illston would caution that jurors should not to feel pressured to change their mind simply to gain unanimity. She would also inform the jurors that if they fail to reach a unanimous decision, there would be "hung jury" and thus a mistrial. Bonds would be free should a mistrial arise, but, at the discretion of the government, could be retried at a later date.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/michael_mccann/04/06/bonds-trial-analysis/index.html#ixzz1JM4f3FdX

[Capt. America]

6. He's guilty in the court of public opinion: no HOF for that arrogant cheating bastard.

[TZ]

7. Having been on a jury in a similar situation I'm willing to bet money

that this ends in a mistrial--hung jury. When a deliberation goes much longer than projected, its almost always because of split opinions. .I think Bonds is guilty as hell but I doubt he'll be convicted.Or even if he's convicted of anything he'll never serve jail time.