Gang-Rape Jury Signals Doubt

Jurors in a gang-rape case involving the son of an Orange County sheriff’s official continued deliberating Thursday, indicating through questions to the judge that they may be unable to reach a verdict on one of the charges.

In a question sent at 1:25 p.m. to Judge Francisco P. Briseno, the Orange County Superior Court jury asked: “If we are unable to reach a verdict on Count #1, are we to continue on to other counts, or do we stop?”

The charge in question is rape by intoxication, one of 24 counts against Gregory Scott Haidl, 18, and Kyle Joseph Nachreiner and Keith James Spann, both 19.

The judge told them to continue deliberating, a court representative said.

Forty-five minutes later, the jury asked to have the court reporter read back the testimony of the neurologists who were called in the two-month case.

Earlier Thursday morning, the four-woman, eight-man jury wanted to see portions of the video that prosecutors say shows the defendants raping an unconscious 16-year-old girl in 2002.

The suspects and the girl all lived in Rancho Cucamonga at the time, but the incident took place at the Corona del Mar home of Haidl’s father, Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl. The defense contends the encounter was consensual.

The jury will resume deliberations Monday in the Santa Ana courtroom.