Riddle faces retrial

[Alpha Mare]

Sam Riddle has escaped conviction for now.

And, according to several jurors who spoke out angrily on the steps of the federal courthouse in Detroit after a mistrial was declared Wednesday in Riddle's public corruption trial, he has only one juror to thank -- Angela Woods.

About a half-dozen of the 12-member panel lobbed extraordinary public accusations of racism against Woods, the sole African American on the jury, saying that she hijacked the process by being combative and confrontational, often refusing to review evidence and discuss possible verdicts.

"We tried for five days. We were civil. If you tried to say anything, she would lash out at you," juror Margaret Elyakin of Ann Arbor said. "If you can't find this man guilty, you can't find anyone guilty. Unfortunately, it came down to race."

They never even got through all seven counts.

Riddle faces a retrial on seven felony charges. Prosecutors contend he and his former boss, ex-Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, shook down people who wanted to do business with the council or a city pension board on which Conyers sat as a trustee.

Jay Gandhi of Lake Orion said Woods accused other jurors of being racist and at one point sarcastically said: "Let's hang the black man."

"She said 'Y'all just want to hang the black man,' " said juror Judy Sochocki of Southgate. "She implied we were racist."

"She accused us of being prejudiced," LeFevre said. "She accused the FBI of lying."

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100217/NEWS01/100217064/1318/In-mistrial-of-Riddle-case-furor-surrounds-lone-juror&template=fullarticle

[thundley4]

Just another case of jury nullification. 

[Tucker]

http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2010/02/18/news/srv0000007637413.txt

Several jurors described a jury room bordering on mayhem.

Matt Lefevre said there was screaming during deliberations. "She wouldn't sit at the table half the time," he said of the holdout juror.

At one point, the woman sarcastically said, "Let's hang the black man," according to another juror, Jay Gandhi. Gandi said she thought the holdout was going to hit her with a folder

The juror was black and wasn't voting to convict a black man regardless of guilt. The glove musta fit.

[AllosaursRus]

It's been my experience blacks are way more racist than any white man I have ever known! And I deal with both races frequently.