Deliberations

A jury deliberated Neil Entwistle's fate all day today and will continue deliberating tomorrow. Reporters, spectators, photographers, and camera operators spent most of the day waiting for a verdict, reading, talking on cell phones, and typing on BlackBerries outside the courthouse and in the hall outside courtroom 430. Defense attorneys Elliot Weinstein and Stephanie Page hung out with Entwistle's family in what I believe is the public defenders' office. Peter Parker, the Entwistle family's lawyer, also made an appearance.

Just after 3:30 the crowd, along with the lawyers in the case, the defendant, family members from both sides, and the judge, assembled in the courtroom because the jury had a question. It turned out that jurors wanted to see Entwistle's computer records from January 20, 2006, the day of the alleged murders. Entwistle used the Internet around 12:30 that day to check on job applications.

The jury then entered at about 4:25 to let the judge know that they were done for the day. They will report back at 9:00 tomorrow.

It could be good for the defense that the jury isn't rushing to judgemnt. There's a chance they are leaning toward convicting Entwistle and are just waiting another day to be 100% sure, but there's also a chance some aren't convinced of his guilt. I think he has a chance of getting a hung jury, but it'll depend on how stubborn the dissenting jurors are in sticking to their opinions.

Also today I stuck my head into courtroom 630, where James Brescia was just convicted of hiring a hit-man to kill his estranged wife's boyfriend. I was there just as the guilty verdict was announced. Brescia was not present for the verdict because he suffered a stroke and was admitted to the hospital last night.