Judge tells deadlocked jurors in Whitmer kidnapping case to keep deliberating
Jurors have entered day five of deliberations
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Jurors in the trial of four men accused of planning to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer returned to the US district judge still deadlocked on some charges on Friday - but were told by US District Judge Robert Jonker to keep deliberating until they reach a decision.
The jurors must reach unanimous agreement on 10 charges between the four men. Those include one against Brandon Caserta, two against Adam Fox, three against Barry Croft Jr and four against Daniel Harris.
The judge read the jury’s note reporting their deadlock aloud in court on Friday morning.
“We’ve come to a decision on several counts. However are locked on others. How should we proceed?” the note asked.
The judge asked “is that your final answer,” referencing the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” gameshow. He then told the jurors to continue their deliberations.
“Before that final answer, I’d like you to go back and take another effort to see if you can come to agreement on the issues that you’re stuck on,” he said. “I know it’s tough. We all know it’s tough,” Mr Jonker told the jury.
All have been charged with kidnapping conspiracy, while other counts involved firearm and explosive possession.
On Friday, the jurors entered their fifth day of deliberations.
One of the more surprising revelations during the trial was a plot allegedly hatched by the defendants to turn a plastic bag of pennies into a makeshift pipebomb using a firecracker. Prosecutors claimed the kidnappers - specifically Mr Croft - were planning to use the DIY bomb against Ms Whitmer’s security team.
Assistant US Attorney Nils Kessler said Mr Croft anticipated the pennies would get so hot that they would sear “right through your skin.”
According to prosecutors, the men who plotted to kidnap Ms Whitmer were entrenched in right-wing conspiracy theories and were furious over the governor’s Covid-era restrictions.
The men’s defense attorneys have argued that their clients were set up by federal agents that infiltrated their group and encouraged them to act out.