Originally posted by Albamelia
Rem: that the jury cannot convict MJ of molestation just because they believe that he comitted the PAST acts (NOT). If they come up and say we find Michael guilty of blah because he did it in the 1990's to Chandler or something like that...the judge is gonna say that they are not trying THAT "case" but this one. Get what I mean?
Hmmm... OK here's what I think:
There would be no way for the judge to know whether or not the jury sentences MJ because of the 93 allegations. The jury deliberations are held in the presence of no one else.
Besides, the 93 allegations are not the whole case, and the jury knows that. They know they are not allowed to base their judgement ONLY on the 93 allegations. Even if one juror does so, there are still 11 others to balance him/her. By law, the jurors MUST deliberate and say what they think, and I cannot believe that they would ALL base their judgement only on that.
Normally, the jurors will do everything they can to avoid a hung jury, and that's why deliberations take such a long time. The goal is an unanimous verdict. It's not the majority of the votes that decides of the guilt or innocence of the accused. I would suppose a hung jury would happen only after very long deliberations. We all agree that there is no way MJ will be clearly convicted. At this point, it's quite clear: the reasonable doubt threshold was not reached, and there is definitely no evidence. So I think a unanimous conviction is not possible. Which leaves 2 possibilities: full acquittal or hung jury. My guess is that if the deliberations are long, then that's because there's the possibility of a hung jury, because it indicates that the jurors cannot reach an agreement. If they are short, then it's a very good sign for MJ that he would be totally acquitted because they all easily agree, or that he will only be convicted for the new alcohol charge (I almost typed: kind of a slap on the wrist).
At this point, I am stressed out and a little scared, just like Michael, I'd imagine (see Raymone Bain's comments about how he felt today)... But I am pretty confident that the verdict will be favorable to Michael. If he is convicted, then it means that the jury is really, REALLY stupid. But again, I cannot imagine that the 12 members of the jury will ALL be assholes.
Now, let's see Mez shine during the closing arguments. Who has the final word? The defense, right? I mean, it's the prosecution first, then the defense, and then the deliberations start right away, correct?
Your thoughts?