CHARLOTTE—The jury had its first full day of deliberations in the voluntary manslaughter trial of Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Randall ‘Wes’ Kerrick.
Kerrick is accused of wrongfully shooting and killing Jonathan Ferrell, who was unarmed, in September 2013.
Although they didn't reach a verdict, it appears the jury is making progress based on their questions to the judge.
Jurors first came back at 11 a.m., asking for a substantial amount of information, including the dashcam video of the incident, including once in slow-motion.
They also requested to see transcripts from the initial interviews with Ofc. Kerrick, Ofc. Little, and Ofc. Neal.
Attorney Brad Smith said it is rare for jurors to get certain evidence in private, like the dash cam video. but some jurors may be more comfortable watching and discussing it in the jury room.
“You've got, usually you've got division in the jury. And both sides wanting to go and see a piece of evidence and they both have their own independent recollections of what that evidence suggested,” said Smith.
The jurors also asked for the definition of 'self defense' which the judge read to them before sending them back to continue deliberations.
The jury only had about two hours to deliberate on Tuesday after closing arguments wrapped up. They only came back once with a question for the judge about the definition of voluntary manslaughter and the three elements needed to prove it.
The jury of eight women and four men will have to consider the testimony of more than 50 witnesses and hundreds of pieces of evidence to decide if officer Kerrick is guilty.
If the jury comes back at some point and says they can’t reach a unanimous decision, the judge could give them additional instructions and ask them to try again. If it still doesn't happen and looks the jury will never agree, then the judge would declare a mistrial.
“It's important the jury understands they don't need to rush to make a decision. They're to take whatever time they need to see if they can reach an agreement of all 12 jurors,” said Superior Court Judge Richard Boner.
There is no lesser charge for the jury to consider. If the jury finds officer Kerrick guilty, there will be a sentencing hearing immediately after.
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