Monday, November 21, 2022

Not for the First Time, a Juror Speaks to His Priest About Case and is Excused from Deliberations

 In the Kristin Smart murder trial of Ruben Flores in Monterey County, CA, a juror went to confession before her priest and asked for spiritual guidance despite having been warned by the judge not to speak to spiritual advisers and therapists.  The judge stated that "sometimes the appearance of impropriety is just as bad as actual impropriety" and out of an "abundance of caution" the juror was excused.  The jurors had been deliberating for 3 days.  The juror was excused 10-13-22, an alternate juror sworn in, and the jury was instructed to begin deliberations anew.  The jury found Ruben Flores not guilty of helping his son bury and hide the victim's body in 1996.

See prior post: 8-8-14.

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