R. Kelly trial: Juror nearly dismissed after sequestration incident

Chicago Tribune staff report

9:29 AM PDT, June 13, 2008

An R. Kelly juror was nearly dismissed this morning after throwing a temper tantrum at the sequestration hotel Thursday evening.

The man, a white male in his 40s, apparently became agitated when his food and drink failed to arrive promptly during dinner.

"I've been waiting for a [expletive] half hour for a drink," a deputy quoted him as saying. "All I want is a couple of beers and a hamburger."

Cook County jurors typically are allowed to order any menu item under $10 and to have two alcoholic drinks at taxpayers' expense while sequestered.

Deputies said the man's fellow jurors told him there was no need for foul language, but he continued to rant. He was then removed from the dining area and taken outside, where he allegedly made some unflattering comments about the law-enforcement officials.

"You guys have been monitoring me all day," he was quoted as saying. "You know I'm not drunk."

The man was given his own room at the hotel following the disruption, deputies said.

Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan called the man into the courtroom and asked if he was trying to intimidate his fellow jurors. The man giggled and told the judge he was just feeling claustrophobic.

"Why are you laughing?" the judge asked. "You're grinning at me. Do you have a mental problem?"

The man told the judge that he was fine. The juror has grinned through much of the trial—even when the sex tape was played.

Gaughan let the other 11 jurors decide whether to keep him or restart deliberations with an alternate. The jury sent back a note saying it would continue discussing the case with the man on the panel.

"Your actions have consequences," the judge said. "I don't want another outburst."

Stacy St. Clair

June 13, 2008 9:24 AM CDT: Jury goes back to work

The R. Kelly jury resumed deliberations at 8:30 a.m. after spending the night sequestered in a local hotel.

The panel spent more than three hours discussing the case Thursday before the judge ordered them to recess. They already have elected a foreman and asked for testimony transcripts, which the judge denied.

Kelly is not in the courthouse. The R&B superstar does not have to be in the Cook County Criminal Courts Building during deliberations, but Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan has ordered him to remain within an hour's drive of the courthouse in case a verdict is reached.

June 13, 2008 6:30 AM CDT: The issues before the jury

No more arguments. No more colorful cross-examinations. No more evidence. No more testimony.

After a night tucked away in an undisclosed hotel, jurors in the R Kelly case begin deliberating again at 8:30 a.m.