Tuesday, April 11, 2006

George Ryan trial: More juror controversy

A couple of Tuesdays ago I took my daughter to the Chicago's Adler Planetarium, which spawned this post.

Another big story was right under my ears, as I drove home that afternoon while listening to Roe Conn's WLS-AM talk show. I just thought the caller was a braggart who wanted to get on the radio. That still might be the case, but Rebecca Pallmeyer, the judge in the corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan, is taking no chances.

A caller who identified himself as "Dennis the Dry Cleaner" called Roe, and he said that one of his regular customers talked to him about the progress of jury deliberations.

From CBS 2 Chicago:

"She had mentioned that they really haven't even started deliberations yet," the WLS-AM caller said.

When he called talk-radio host Roe Conn to discuss what an unnamed female juror had allegedly revealed, did a man identified only as Dennis the Dry Cleaner realize he might be talking about another case of potential juror misconduct in the trial of former Gov. George Ryan?

"She said, you know, that everyone on that jury with her had put so much time in it already, it would be a sheer waste to just see them walk away today and say it's a mistrial," Dennis said.

It's been two weeks, but my recollection from that call was that Dennis was told by that juror that up till that time, the panel was setting up rules among themselves for deliberations.

There is just one alternate juror left.

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