Blago Jury Deadlocked
After 11 days of deliberations, the federal jury stuck deciding the fate of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s corruption trial apparently hit a wall Wednesday, sending the judge a note indicating they can’t reach a verdict – at least not on all the counts Blago is facing.
What that means is anybody’s guess; even the attorneys and judge seemed perplexed, according to this report from The Chicago Sun-Times:
Judge James Zagel sent back a note saying the communication from the panel still left him unsure of the status of the jury’s deliberations on Blagojevich and his brother, Robert.
“I need clarification,” Zagel said.
Zagel showed prosecutors and defense lawyers the entire note from jurors, but the lawyers were also left scratching their heads.
Attorney Michael Ettinger, who is representing Robert Blagojevich, said the jury indicated it was “hopelessly deadlocked” on every count that involves an act.
…..
The judge proposed sending back a note to the jurors saying, in part, “Then you should determine if you can reach a verdict on some of the counts.”
The prosecution and defense agreed.
“We’re fine with that,” one of the prosecutors said.
“No objection,” the Blagojeviches’ lawyers said.
Court is back in session early Thursday morning. For anybody counting along at home, Blagojevich was hit with a total of 25 counts that sprung from eight primary charges: Racketeering (1 count); Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering (1 count); Wire Fraud (11 counts); Attempted Extortion (1 count); Conspiracy to Commit Extortion (2 counts); Bribery (2 counts); Conspiracy to Commit Bribery (2 counts); Making False Statements Against the Government (1 count).
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