“We couldn’t remember what we talked about on day one of deliberations, let alone figure out what was said in 2003,” foreman says
WASHINGTON, DC – After unusually long deliberations, a federal jury today convicted I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby on four of five felony counts. Jury foreman Jeff Pursley spoke to reporters outside the courthouse after the panel’s work was completed.
WASHINGTON, DC – After unusually long deliberations, a federal jury today convicted I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby on four of five felony counts. Jury foreman Jeff Pursley spoke to reporters outside the courthouse after the panel’s work was completed.
“After a few days, we got bogged down trying to remember what we said in deliberations, and then it got personal. Juror number four wanted to know what juror number six said about her to juror number eleven, and she refused to discuss anything until it got sorted out. That’s why we requested the Post-It Notes and a dictionary from the judge.” Judge Reggie Walton refused to provide a dictionary, but did allow the sticky notepads. “We started working our way backwards and moved Post-It notes around trying to get everyone to agree on what was said to whom,” the foreman said. “But it was tough, since some people were in the bathroom at different times or they heard slightly different stories about the same event. It was a real mess.”
Unable to reach an agreement on their own conversations, the jury barely considered the charges against Mr. Libby. “How are we supposed to decide what was said to whom way back in 2003? We weren’t there, and the people who were there couldn’t agree on what was said, either,” Pursley said.
With tensions in the jury room running high and all jurors never wanting to see each other again, “We picked a number out of a hat and decided that would be the number of charges we’d convict [Libby] on. It’s not very fair to him, but at least we were able to wrap things up before Easter.”
