Deadlocked jury tries again in trial of DeKalb CEO Ellis 9:13 a.m. — Jurors in the trial of DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis are deliberating for an 11th day, perhaps their last chance at agreeing on a verdict before a mistrial is declared. The jury hasn’t been able to unanimously agree on any of the 13 criminal charges against Ellis. If Judge Courtney Johnson has to declare a mistrial, the six-week trial of Ellis would end without a resolution. The charges would still be pending, Ellis would still be suspended from office and prosecutors would have to decide whether to seek a retrial. Ellis has pleaded not guilty to charges that the threatened county contractors who resisted contributing to his 2012 re-election campaign. The charges against him include bribery, theft, extortion and perjury. The jury has already told Johnson three times that it can’t settle its differences, and she has ordered them to keep working each of those times. But Tuesday could be the last day of the trial. Johnson read a “dynamite charge” to jurors on Monday, which is legal language meant to encourage them to reach a verdict. The charge is often the last recourse before declaring a mistrial. geogianews/deadlocked-jury-tries-again-in-trial-of-dekalb-ceo-ellis/
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 14:45:17 +0000