Jurors began deliberating James “Whitey” Bulger’s fate this week.
Credit: Nicolaus Czarnecki/Metro
The second day of jury deliberations in the trial of James “Whitey” Bulger consisted of multiple questions from the jurors and a couple hours of suspense that ended without a clear reason.
The jury deciding the fate of the 83-year-old alleged former mob boss began and ended its day by passing questions on notes to the judge.
But in between that there was some suspense and speculation created by the actions inside the courtroom.
Judge Denise Casper called lawyers from both sides to a sidebar at about noon. US Attorney Carmen Ortiz was present in the courtroom, causing speculation among many on Twitter that Bulger or a juror had fallen ill, that a verdict was imminent or that a juror was being dismissed.
The suspense and speculation was only furthered when the lawyers and judge left the sidebar and courtroom without any explanation.
Later on they came back into the courtroom where the same scenario played out. It was played out for a third day when,shortly before 2:30 p.m., the lawyers and judge left, seemingly resolving the issue but providing no explanation.
Jurors were continuing their deliberations elsewhere in the courthouse.
As for the inquiries, the jury asked for clarification on statute of limitations, aiding and abetting and what was necessary to find Bulger guilty of the second racketeering count.
The jurors also asked for additional copies of Casper’s instructions.
The questions gave no indication about how close the jurors are to determining a verdict.
Metro reported yesterday that legal experts believe the Bulger jury could be out for a while because of the complexity of the case and charges and not necessarily because they are wrestling with reasonable doubt.
Bulger was charged in a 32-count indictment that includes 19 murders.
Jurors were to return to court Thursday after being unable to reach a verdict since deliberations began on Tuesday.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
