Ferguson Jury - Mistrial Declared

[ragnarok1981]

Todays interview with the foreman of the jury said that on Friday they had made a decision on 4 counts but after the weekend they had none. Am I the only one here who thinks Ferguson did something to influence the jury? This thug, and yes I mean that given his past record, would do anything to get his way and I really would not be surprised if he threatened or bribed a jury member.

[Motor City Sam]

I'm thinking that it was just too confusing. I'm looking at Blagojevich as the comparison. Hung jury. Re-trial. Instead of bombarding him with charges [[a la Jerry Sandusky), they slimmed down to a small handful and made them ridiculously simple to understand.

That said, this is why I hate the jury system...though admittedly I have no suggestions as to what would be better.

Maybe your right, CY. Perhaps they will narrow down the list of charges for the retrial.

I don't know how they couldn't come to a decision on the gun charge. A convicted felon with an unregistered gun in his own safe doesn't seem that complicated to me. I was sure that at least that charge would warrant a conviction.

[Detroitgayhistoryguy]

Just look at American television or movies, dumb & dumber. All the popular movies are based on cartoons for 6 year olds. I think the prosecution in these complex cases might have to produce a cartoon to explain to the jury what the case is about.

[corktownyuppie]

Well, we have some answers.

http://www.freep.com/article/2012062...text|FRONTPAGE

Jury foreman Charles Hines III, 30, said jurors agreed at certain points on four of the eight charges -- but he would not say whether the agreements were to convict or acquit. He also wouldn't say which defendants the agreements included."I'm personally frustrated that we couldn't reach a unanimous decision," Hines said. "I personally feel it was a colossal waste of time and money given the outcome. ... I think all of us felt bad relaying to the judge that we weren't going to reach a unanimous decision."Hines said race was not a factor in the discussions.Both sides met this morning in the judge's chambers in federal court, but they did not set a trial date or discuss the case publicly.According to Burchette-Sparks, the holdout juror was African American.

According to her Facebook posting, Burchett-Sparks wrote the holdout juror was a woman who may have “had a soft heart and couldn’t send anyone to jail.” She also wrote: “This was people doing some illegal stuff and simply got caught and their day is coming …”

They're gonna retry this over and over again until Ferguson goes to jail. At some point, the prosecution is going to get a jury without any sympathetic jurors. If I were him I'd plea.

[superduperman]

Same thing with Edwards and a few others. The suits have to understand that the people on the street don't understand how economics and corruption really work. I'm kind of surprised it didn't happen with Madoff.

But then again, if they/we did, there wouldn't BE so much corruption.

Madoff didnt have a trial, he plead guilty as soon as he could without cooperating with the feds.

[SWMAP]

The Feds should just quit: the lone holdout was a Black woman [[maybe the last juror added this week). It was the same scenario when Sam Riddle was tried on the corruption charge. He got a mis-trial because of one lone holdout.

DETROIT — U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn granted a defense motion for mistrial in the Sam Riddle case Feb. 17, and cautioned the jurors not to discuss the reasons for their inability to reach agreement.

According to reports, Cohn himself said the government would re-try Riddle.

Despite Cohn’s instructions, the jury foreman Matt LeFevre told reporters that the lone Black juror held out for acquittal. A woman who appears to be in her 30s, she is a flight attendant. Lefevre claimed she refused to deliberate at all, and said he wanted Riddle re-tried.

Another juror claimed she said sarcastically, “Let’s hang the Black man.”



Ferguson and KK will both walk. maybe they'll do something else later like Sam did. But its just impossible to get a conviction in Detroit. Why do you think KK's been buttering up the Black women in the churches? Obviously hoping to get one on his jury.

[313hero]

Boy Yall Upset. SMH. Damn Vultures

[corktownyuppie]

The Feds should just quit: the lone holdout was a Black woman [[maybe the last juror added this week). It was the same scenario when Sam Riddle was tried on the corruption charge. He got a mis-trial because of one lone holdout.

DETROIT — U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn granted a defense motion for mistrial in the Sam Riddle case Feb. 17, and cautioned the jurors not to discuss the reasons for their inability to reach agreement.

According to reports, Cohn himself said the government would re-try Riddle.

Despite Cohn’s instructions, the jury foreman Matt LeFevre told reporters that the lone Black juror held out for acquittal. A woman who appears to be in her 30s, she is a flight attendant. Lefevre claimed she refused to deliberate at all, and said he wanted Riddle re-tried.

Another juror claimed she said sarcastically, “Let’s hang the Black man.”



Ferguson and KK will both walk. maybe they'll do something else later like Sam did. But its just impossible to get a conviction in Detroit. Why do you think KK's been buttering up the Black women in the churches? Obviously hoping to get one on his jury.

Everyone's focusing on the fact that the lone juror was black. Let's remember that the alternate juror that was added to the jury was also black, and he's just as pissed as everyone else. And let's remember that as of Friday, they were ready to convict on 4 charges.

This isn't the Sam Riddle case. Feds are gonna re-try this case.

[Meddle]

And let's remember that as of Friday, they were ready to convict on 4 charges.

Your source?

Your own post [[#29) above says they had reached 'agreements', but they were not disclosed.

[SWMAP]

From the Free Press:

One of the jurors in the Bobby Ferguson bid-rigging trial is speaking out on Facebook, saying there was one holdout on the panel, which voted 10-to-1 to convict on almost all counts.
“I can tell you 1st hand that the votes were 10 to 1 on almost all counts and I'm so happy this is going to trial again...hope they pay for what they have done to Detroit,” juror Theresa Burchett-Sparks wrote on her Facebook page today.
The Free Press tried to reach Burchett-Sparks by telephone at her home and via Facebook, but she was not immediately available.
According to her Facebook posting, Burchett-Sparks wrote the holdout juror was a woman who may have “had a soft heart and couldn’t send anyone to jail.” She also wrote: “This was people doing some illegal stuff and simply got caught and their day is coming …”
The Free Press also confirmed through other sources that the jury voted 10-1 to convict Ferguson on most of the counts.
Burchett-Sparks wrote the holdout juror was African American.“I'm glad to get back to my life but sad that just one of jurors [[black) didn't agree with what the other 10 of us seen...maybe in round 2.”

[corktownyuppie]

Sorry, forgot to source it.

At another point, the jury was deadlocked 10-1 to convict, according to juror Leon Richey, and a second juror who identified the holdout as a female black juror.

Jurors spoke out Wednesday about the seven-week trial and deliberations with a mix of venom, disappointment and harsh words for Ferguson, with one juror saying she hopes he pays for what he did to Detroit.

Juror Leon Richey spoke to The News one day after jurors deadlocked in the high-profile trial. The 66-year-old substitute teacher described a shifting series of votes during seven days of deliberation, but made clear Ferguson and codefendants Michael Woodhouse and Calvin Hall were facing prison time Friday before being excused for the weekend.The Detroit resident said the jury had reached unanimous verdicts on four counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, a five-year felony; conspiracy to willfully injure property of the U.S., a five-year felony; and two counts against Ferguson of being a felon in possession of a firearm, 10-year felonies.

"Jurors changed their minds over the weekend," Richey said, sitting at an unstable bar table in a second-floor lounge in downtown Detroit.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz1z1wEo45L

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Worth noting, I believe that Leon Richey [[from Detroit, I believe) was the 2nd black juror -- originally an alternate juror -- who came on to the jury in the middle of deliberations. And he's as frustrated with the holdout as everyone else.

If race is the issue, it's not enough of an issue. It's hard enough to get blacks in the federal jury pool to begin with. Even harder to get them on a trial. And out of 2, one of them was mad as hell and ready to convict.

So if I'm Barbara McQuade, I'd try this over and over again until you get 12 to agree.

[superduperman]

I'm curious.....how many swings do you all think the government should get?

[corktownyuppie]

I'm curious.....how many swings do you all think the government should get?

Government gets unlimited swings until:

- 12 guys vote to acquit
- He pleads out

Odds don't look good for Fergie

[corktownyuppie]

A hung jury doesn't mean the defendant is free. It just means that the jury couldn't decide. They'll free him until the trial is over. But that doesn't mean he's off the hook.

[superduperman]

Government gets unlimited swings until:

- 12 guys vote to acquit
- He pleads out

Odds don't look good for Fergie

I'm more than familiar with the process, I was just wondering how many tries do you all think the government should get.

[nativegirl]

Jury selection is key here. Too bad they can't give a IQ test to some of these guys. My wife still bemoans the attitude and moronic actions of folks on her fellow jury panel. I'm afraid the people get what they deserve in this city.

Really Daddeeo? You do know that this was in Federal court and most of the jurors were not from Detroit, right? Either you and your wife were on the wrong panel.

[corktownyuppie]

Really Daddeeo? You do know that this was in Federal court and most of the jurors were not from Detroit, right? Either you and your wife were on the wrong panel.

C'mon Daddeeo...the juror interviewed in the Detroit News was black and from Detroit, and he was fuming. Ferguson got lucky.

Lightning's not gonna strike twice. He can either plea out like Sam Riddle did [[3 years in jail?) or he can take it to another trial like Blagojevich did 14 years in jail.)

With a 10-1 jury vote, a black juror from Detroit ready to crucify him, and a high motivation to deal if he turns State witness against Kilpatrick, I have a feeling they're going to make him a sweetheart deal if he testifies against Kilpatrick. And if he says, no, then they'll try for the full sentence again. And again. And again. And again.

[Hypestyles]

how expensive can this get, starting all over again with a new trial, getting new jurors and now trying to make sure they aren't "prejudiced" based on the most recent outcome..?

[firstandten]

how expensive can this get, starting all over again with a new trial, getting new jurors and now trying to make sure they aren't "prejudiced" based on the most recent outcome..?

It will be expensive but the Feds have to do their jobs and with a 10-1 margin they must retry the case. If it was more of a split vote I could see not going thru with another trial.

The Feds have to do a better job of selecting the part of the jury they have control over.

[Wesley Mouch]

It will be expensive but the Feds have to do their jobs and with a 10-1 margin they must retry the case. If it was more of a split vote I could see not going thru with another trial.

The Feds have to do a better job of selecting the part of the jury they have control over.

Neither side has control of 'part of the jury'. Both sides participate in a well-defined process of selecting all the jurors.

[Wesley Mouch]

how expensive can this get, starting all over again with a new trial, getting new jurors and now trying to make sure they aren't "prejudiced" based on the most recent outcome..?

The expense of a retrial is significant. But it is worth it. We all want a system of justice that is fair, and helps create civil society.

The cost of the trial will still likely be less than the costs to the city of fraud and favoritism.

Fair, just, and civil society is priceless.

[Wesley Mouch]

I'm more than familiar with the process, I was just wondering how many tries do you all think the government should get.

As many as necessary, without limit.

I don't see why anyone would consider a limit. So long as the prosecution is acting within the law.

[firstandten]

Neither side has control of 'part of the jury'. Both sides participate in a well-defined process of selecting all the jurors.

I was referring to peremptory challenges each side does have some control when it comes to selecting jurors. My point, probably badly made is that the Feds need to do a better job when it comes to the voir dire stage where it is said that many cases are won or lost.

[brizee]

Apperantly the judge doesn't know how to act either.