TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Wednesday Sharon Lettman-Hicks' defense attorney, Alex Morris, discovered LinkedIn posts and selfies taken by a juror outside of the courthouse. Prompting Andrew Gillum's attorney, David Markus, to call for a mistrial which was later denied.
ABC 27 talked to Criminal Defense attorney Don Pumphrey about what exactly a mistrial would mean.
"If a mistrial is declared then that means they start over from scratch and that they will try the case again and present the evidence to another jury," said Don Pumphrey.
Judge Allen Winsor says that none of the social media posts made by the juror disclosed any information about the trial. He did not think it was wise to remove the juror all together. Though he did find their posts to be inappropriate and admitted it shouldn't have happened.
Judge Winsor decided to speak with the juror once deliberations wrapped up for the day to make it clear that discussing the trial on any level is unacceptable. Judge Winsor added quote, "I know it's hard to cut yourself off from the world."
Attorney Pumphrey says there is one thing people should keep in mind when it comes to the jury and how long the deliberation process may take
"There was a lot of evidence and documentation with each one of the jurors. Each one of the jurors is going to give their presentation of what they believe are the facts. They may have debates and arguments. Everyone will just have to be patient," said Pumphrey.
