Terri Wright, a juror on Buju Banton’s federal drug and gun trial, says she’s passionate about law. Wright, who works in the insurance industry and lives in Tampa, jokes that she would be a professional juror if she could.
But did her passion compromise the outcome of the reggae singer’s trial?
In an exclusive interview with New Times, Wright says she researched certain aspects of the case to have a better grasp of them when deliberation came around. “I would get in the car, just write my notes down so I could remember, and I would come home and do the research,” she says.
Wright mentioned the Pinkerton rule, which the feds used to nail Buju on a gun charge despite the fact that he had no connection to the gun.
Standard jury instructions for federal trials tell jurors to “not attempt to research any fact, issue or law related to this case, whether by discussion with others, by library or Internet research, or by any other means or source.”
“They give you the instructions not to go online and, you know, make an opinion. I tried to follow that as close as possible,” Wright says, followed by a laugh. “I don’t think what I found out would have changed how I thought.”
That may not be her call to make. Violations of these instructions could lead to a mistrial and open up a new avenue for appeals.
Read full story over at HERE.
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November 3, 2012 at 11:01 am
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