Brown Supporter Trial (even more)

[ErsatzAnatchist]

No verdict today.

Anyone want to make a bet about a verdict coming in tomorrow?

[Dezcad]

No verdict today.

Anyone want to make a bet about a verdict coming in tomorrow?

Sure - What odds are you laying?

[webhick]

Sure - What odds are you laying?

And are they taking antibiotics?

[webhick]

From today's Concord Monitor (obviously highlighting done by me):

Article published on April 08, 2008

Plainfield

No verdict yet for Browns' supporters
Jury deliberations resume this morning


By Margot Sanger-Katz
Monitor staff
April 08, 2008

The jury deciding the fate of three men who helped tax protesters Ed and Elaine Brown did not reach a verdict yesterday after deliberating for about seven hours. The jury of seven men and five women will resume their deliberations this morning.

The defendants were prominent supporters of the Browns, who engaged in a nearly nine-month standoff in Plainfield last year when they refused to surrender to authorities following convictions for tax-related felonies. The defendants, Jason Gerhard of Brookhaven, N.Y.; Cirino Gonzalez of Alice Texas; and Daniel Riley of Cohoes, N.Y., were accused of conspiring to prevent U.S. marshals from arresting the Browns, aiding the couple and bringing them guns to help prevent their arrest. Gerhard and Riley were also charged with handling destructive devices.

During the course of deliberations yesterday, the jury made several requests of the judge, which were discussed in closed-door hearings in his chambers. According to sources who learned about the meetings, jurors requested a whiteboard, markers and pushpins, and they also asked to see some of the devices.

The Browns maintain that there is no legitimate law requiring ordinary Americans to pay federal income taxes, and they attracted the attention and support of many who shared their dislike of taxes and their suspicion about the federal government.

Evidence in the case included dozens of improvised explosive devices, including pipe bombs, nail bombs and exploding rifle targets. It also included an array of homemade and conventional firearms. Prosecutors argued last week that this arsenal of weapons and the presence of dedicated supporters like the defendants made it difficult for authorities to arrest the Browns.
The Browns were ultimately tricked by an undercover team of marshals who posed as supporters and were invited to the house by the couple, after the defendants on trial had been arrested. The couple are serving 63-month sentences in federal prisons for their tax crimes.

Defense attorneys argued that while the defendants did help and support the Browns, they did not conspire together and did not share the same goals.

Gonzalez, the only defendant to testify in the case, said that he went to the Browns to attract attention to unrelated political causes.
This article is: 0 days old.

Are they playing a really intricate game of charades where the losers get pelted with pushpins launched by a destructive device?

[ErsatzAnatchist]

I hope their "view" of the destructive devices is supervised. At a minimum, the Jury should not be allowed to have any beer at the same time that they handling the destructive devices.

[webhick]

I hope their "view" of the destructive devices is supervised. At a minimum, the Jury should not be allowed to have any beer at the same time that they handling the destructive devices.

But will they be allowed to watch porn while handling the destructive devices? You know...so they can get in Jason's head.

[Dezcad]

Maybe they'll draw caricatures of the defendants on the whiteboard and then play "pin the device on the donkey".........

[Imalawman]

For those that attended, do you think guilty verdicts are warranted on some counts without hesitation? Or are all the counts in question at this point? I guess I'm a little surprised that deliberations have gone on this long. I would have thought it'd be quicker if they were to convict in full.

[Demosthenes]

The three conspiracy counts are fairly complex.

Count 1: Conspiracy to prevent officers of the US from discharging their duties
Count 2: Conspiracy to commit offenses against the US
Count 3: Accessory after the fact

There's a lot of evidence in this case for the jury to review and a ton of legal definitions (conspiracy, destructive device, and so on) for them to parse.

[Scoop]

From today's Concord Monitor (obviously highlighting done by me):

Nice job identifying the only news in the story!

What I'd give for a hidden camera . . .

[Cobalt Shiva]

I hope their "view" of the destructive devices is supervised. At a minimum, the Jury should not be allowed to have any beer at the same time that they handling the destructive devices.

Or, why the BATFE should be disbanded:

Because handling firearms and explosives while partaking of alcohol and tobacco is a very bad idea.

[webhick]

A good point was brought up by a co-worker: maybe they need the whiteboard to map out the timeline.

[Cobalt Shiva]

A good point was brought up by a co-worker: maybe they need the whiteboard to map out the timeline.

That's not a good point, it's an EXCELLENT point.

I swear, there are days where the white board is my spare brain. Not sure if it's "just" seeing the visuals, or if the act of writing & drawing helps me to get a better grasp on a problem.

[Demosthenes]

A good point was brought up by a co-worker: maybe they need the whiteboard to map out the timeline.

Which is only relevant if they bought into the defense arguments.

[wserra]

I just walked into the middle of this.

People: you don't know what jury notes mean. They could want the whiteboard for their lunch orders.

[Cobalt Shiva]

I just walked into the middle of this.

People: you don't know what jury notes mean. They could want the whiteboard for their lunch orders.

That, too!

[Scoop]

The three conspiracy counts are fairly complex.

Count 1: Conspiracy to prevent officers of the US from discharging their duties
Count 2: Conspiracy to commit offenses against the US
Count 3: Accessory after the fact

There's a lot of evidence in this case for the jury to review and a ton of legal definitions (conspiracy, destructive device, and so on) for them to parse.

Honestly, the weapons counts are fairly complex as well. The defendants are accused of using bombs and guns "in connection with a crime of violence." This means that to return guilty verdicts, the jury needs to find the guys guilty of conspiracy *and* believe that the weapons were used to further that conspiracy.

Jury instructions were a solid hour and included a discussion of "constructive possession" that I found nearly impossible to follow.

[Imalawman]

The three conspiracy counts are fairly complex.

Count 1: Conspiracy to prevent officers of the US from discharging their duties
Count 2: Conspiracy to commit offenses against the US
Count 3: Accessory after the fact

There's a lot of evidence in this case for the jury to review and a ton of legal definitions (conspiracy, destructive device, and so on) for them to parse.

Honestly, the weapons counts are fairly complex as well. The defendants are accused of using bombs and guns "in connection with a crime of violence." This means that to return guilty verdicts, the jury needs to find the guys guilty of conspiracy *and* believe that the weapons were used to further that conspiracy.

Jury instructions were a solid hour and included a discussion of "constructive possession" that I found nearly impossible to follow.

Thanks! I have forgotten all the charges involved (I should read the past filings again). Yeah, I suppose to be thorough they'd have to take a while to parse through all the evidence.

Why is a timeline only relevant for the defenses theory? It seems that it would be helpful to place each defendant at the scene at a particular date would help to sort out all the dates and claims. But in any event, verdict guessing drives me crazy, but I suppose there's nothing else to do in the meantime.

[Imalawman]

So, scoop - how's that apology coming along that the folks at MaketheStand are demanding? After all, as Bill Ridley (?) pointed out, your versions of the trial events greatly varied from the truth. (Whew, I didnt' think I'd be able to type that sentence without laughing milk through my nose.)

Link? Thanks.

[Demosthenes]

His name is Bill Riley. He's dogwalker's brother.