THE MENENDEZ VERDICTS : The Menendez Jury

Here are thumbnail sketches and the seating chart for the 12 men and women who will determine whether Lyle and Erik Menendez live or die.

Back Row

JUROR 7: White male, 30, of Sherman Oaks. Single, truck driver for city of Los Angeles, certified massage therapist and a pilot. Air National Guard reservist, served in Persian Gulf War as flight medic. Also was a reserve officer for the San Fernando Police Department. Owns guns. Didn’t follow first trial. Thinks male teenager would leave an abusive family situation.

Quote: “I think he would get away from the source and would report the incident.”

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JUROR 8: White female, 36, of Arleta. Secretary with the Postal Service. Married with four children. Husband drives a postal truck. Proudest accomplishment: completing 12-step program. Recalled brothers’ tearful testimony from first trial.

Quote: “The entire situation was sad. That the murders occurred and that it was so compelling that the witness was crying. The whole situation to me, just overall, was sad.”

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JUROR 9: White female, 59, of Sylmar. Homemaker who raised four children, now ages 31 to 39. Watches Oprah Winfrey, baseball and comedy on TV. Did not follow the first trial, but saw and discarded a magazine article about the case while waiting in the jury room. She didn’t say much during jury selection and didn’t take many notes during the trial.

Quote: “I remember they were abused through their childhood and growing-up years and were afraid of their father.”

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JUROR 10: (Foreman) White male, 37, of Burbank. Single, Social Security claims representative. Described his childhood as “reasonably well off.” Ohio State graduate and computer aficionado. Didn’t pay attention to first trial because “it just wasn’t that interesting to me.” Recalled hearing Jay Leno and David Letterman jokes about the brothers.

Quote: “There has to be a very good reason not to convict kids who kill their parents.”

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JUROR 11: White male, 25, of Santa Monica. Single, lives at home with parents. Loyola Law School graduate. Clerked for two judges. Passed the bar during the trial. From a family of lawyers, characterizes his background as “wealthy.” He and fellow law students discussed first trial.

Quote: “From my experience, not having been abused, I would think that if a situation was bad enough, that I would just leave and do it on my own, or just go away on my own.”

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JUROR 12: Chinese American female, 42, of Glendale. Real estate appraiser, born and raised in Hong Kong. Divorced mother of two. Is afraid of blood. Recalls seeing one of the brothers crying during first trial but “wasn’t concerned with it at the time.”

Quote: “I believe one’s childhood experiences carry some explanation to a person’s behavior. But at a later point in life, an individual will have to realize he or she is responsible and in charge of their own life.”

Front Row

JUROR 1: White male, 34, of Sylmar. Married with a daughter, age 3. Letter carrier for Postal Service. Brother is a sheriff’s deputy. Recalled brothers’ tearful testimony during first trial. Also recalled that Erik Menendez’s jury split along gender lines, and was aware of pretrial publicity about change in prosecution strategy for retrial.

Quote: “I just saw them crying there and sort of felt sad for them for what they were describing, what happened.”

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JUROR 2: White male, 64, of Woodland Hills. Retired Teledyne engineer with three grown children, four grandchildren. Indicated he was inclined to believe abuse allegation. Recalled brothers crying curing first trial. Seemed emotional at times during Erik Menendez’s testimony at retrial.

Quote: “Parents have been known to be abusive of their children and the results vary from individual to individual.”

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JUROR 3: White female, 63, of Northridge. Divorced, no children. Retired owner of a travel agency. Was a secretary in the Air Force. Didn’t follow first trial. Believes brothers killed parents but couldn’t say why. While growing up, she said, “my father’s word was law.”

Quote: “I don’t think beating a child accomplishes anything. Denial of privileges is better.”

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JUROR 4: White male, 62, of Encino. Retired elementary school principal. Married with two adult children, three grandchildren. Has master’s degree and owns guns. Discussed first trial with wife, who is a Van Nuys court clerk. Disagreed with her opinion that brothers killed parents for money. Said he needed more information before judging them.

Quote: “I remember they were in tears. I seemed real.”

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JUROR 5: White male, 52, of Eagle Rock. DWP survey supervisor. Has three grown daughters. Does not believe children have the right to kill their parents, adding, “I don’t believe that I would do it, myself.” Didn’t follow first trial.

Quote: “If anyone is too soft, it is the jurors that are soft, not the system or the courts. I think some of the decisions recently have probably been too lenient by jurors.”

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JUROR 6: Latino male, 42, of Canoga Park, born in Guatemala. UCLA graduate and Postal Service window clerk. Two children, ages 17 and 8. Didn’t follow first trial.

Quote: “A person’s wrongdoing somehow has something to do with your parents’ relationship when you’re growing up, but not all blame can be put on them or society.”

Source: Jury questionnaires, answers given during selection and court transcripts (courtesy of West Publishing Co.)