NY jury in ‘Junior’ Gotti case goes home for weekend after signaling possible deadlock
By Tom Hays, APThursday, November 19, 2009
NYC ‘Junior’ Gotti jury goes home for weekend
NEW YORK — Jurors deliberating racketeering charges against John “Junior” Gotti say they’re unable to agree on a verdict.
The judge presiding over the trial in Manhattan federal court sent the jurors home Thursday and told them they would return Monday to keep deliberating. They have been doing so for more than a week.
The trial is the fourth time prosecutors have sought a conviction against Gotti. Three previous trials ended in hung juries.
In the latest case, the government linked Gotti to murders in the 1980s and 1990s and to drug trafficking. He claims he quit the mob more than a decade ago.
His father died in prison while serving a life term for a 1992 murder and racketeering conviction.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jurors deliberating racketeering charges against John “Junior” Gotti in New York City are going home for the weekend after signaling a possible deadlock earlier in the day.
The judge presiding over the Gotti trial told jurors Thursday to keep deliberating after they sent a note out saying they couldn’t agree on a verdict.
Three previous Gotti trials have ended in hung juries. This jury has been deliberating in Manhattan federal court for over a week.
Deliberations will resume on Monday.
In the latest case, the government linked Gotti to a string of murders in the 1980s and 1990s and to drug trafficking. He denied the charges, claiming he quit the mob more than a decade ago.
His father died in prison while serving a life term for a 1992 murder and racketeering conviction.
