Oct 2, 2009 5:16 pm US/Central
Jury Still Deliberating In Dallas Bribery Trial
Reporting
Jack Fink
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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A camera controversy is going on at Dallas City Hall. A candidate for mayor uses his council powers as a platform for a campaign film.
CBS 11 News
It's day 52 in the Dallas public corruption trial. After six days of deliberations, jurors are still deciding whether to send former Dallas Mayor Pro-Tem Don Hill, his mistress-turned-wife Sheila Farrington-Hill, former plan commissioner D'Angelo Lee and two others to prison on extortion and bribery charges.
So who's counting?
The Hills are. They've been waiting for the verdict down at the federal courthouse instead of staying home.
"Their lives are on the line," said Victor Vital, Sheila Farrington-Hill's attorney. "Their liberty is at stake. This is important to them. They're in good spirits, and they are optimistic."
Vital says they want the jury to take their time weighing the evidence.
READ: Jury Deliberations Begin In Hill Trial
READ: Defense Rests In City Hall Trial
But are jurors taking too much time?
We asked former federal prosecutor John Teakell.
"Given the fact it's such a lengthy case, a lengthy indictment with a lot of serious allegations," Teakell said, "I'd say no."
We've learned that the jury has sent the judge five notes, including one today. No word on what jurors were asking, but in general legal experts say they're looking for guidance on the law.
Many wonder if lengthy deliberations are likely to be better for the prosecution or the defense.
Vital naturally believes it's better for his clients.
"The government pushed this case to trial in a 200-page indictment thinking they had a slam dunk case," Vital said. "Here we are one week into these deliberations and the jury is still going over the evidence."
The former prosecutor has a different take.
"I don't think we can say that yet at this point," said Teakell. "If we were two to three weeks into it, then if I were the prosecutor I would start to get concerned about it."
Experts say it's still early, but the Hill case could produce a hung jury in which jurors can't reach a verdict.
Prosecutors would then have to decide whether to put the Hills on trial again.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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