Good afternoon . . .
Jurors are generally admonished not to discuss a case or read, listen, or watch media reports. A juror in a Virginia murder case chose to ignore the court order and bought a newspaper on the day the guilty verdict was delivered.
Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Rossie Alston threw out the guilty verdict of Gerardo Lara after the defense produced a videotape of juror Lindy Heaster buying a newspaper.
Heaster was held in contempt of court for her actions.
Last Friday defense attorney John Shields told the court he saw Heaster buy the paper and requested a mistrial. Judge Alston denied the motion after Heaster swore under oath she purchased only coffee.
After the verdict was delivered and a 40 year sentence was imposed on Lara, Shileds found the store's surveillance tape and the receipt for Heaster's purchase.
Prosecutors will have to refile the case to continue. I hope Ms Heaster enjoyed her coffee and newspaper. Heaster could also face perjury charges.
Juror Buys Paper, Judge Declares Mistrial
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Ever think about e-mailing the Pope? Well, now you can.
Pope Benedict XVI's email address is: benedictxvi@vatican.va
I wonder what kind of response you'll get.
His predecessor John Paul II also had an e-mail address. Vatican officials say he received thousands of messages during the last weeks of his life. No word on how many messages Pope Benedict XVI has received.
Pope Benedict XVI Gets E-Mail Address - Yahoo! News
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More tomorrow.
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