Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror, by Hazel Thornton

Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror, by Hazel Thornton. 1995 first printing softcover. 174 pages, very nice condition.

Juror #9 in the highly publicized Menendez case kept a journal as a way of dealing with the stress of the trial. It was a media circus, covered in full by Court TV, and the brothers’ defense story sparked a national “abuse excuse” debate. The juries were not treated kindly by the media. In particular, the women who voted for voluntary manslaughter were ridiculed and thought to be indecisive, emotional, enamored of the brothers, and too stupid to understand the jury instructions. This book refutes some common misperceptions about the hopelessly deadlocked juries in the Menendez case… [Thornton] reveals in her lively, astute trial diary that Erik’s jury reached an impasse not on the issue of guilt, but on the charge…. Countering the notion that the jurors were hoodwinked and baffled by the parade of psychological experts, Thornton shows a firm grasp of the facts and of legal concepts like ‘burden of proof.’… A highly valuable resource for litigators, and a good read for the expanding army of trial buffs. Includes psychological commentary by Lawrence S. Wrightsman and Amy J. Posey and legal commentary by Alan Scheflin.