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Posted

the jury will begin deliberating tomorrow, around noon. the defense wrapped up their case yesterday and the prosecution only called one expert to the stand today. this afternoon, judge ralph erickson gave some basic instructions to the jurors. tomorrow morning will be much of the same. then the jury will decide if they want to take a lunch break or start deliberating right away.

the more this case has progressed, the more i think that he won't get the death penalty. not because he doesn't deserve it, but because it seems to me that it would be very hard to get 12 people to agree to sentence him to death. the jurors could be so scared of thinking they would be held responsible for the killing of another person that they would just rather see him rot in jail. i expect it to take two hours max of deliberating, when the jury realizes that there are a couple people who just won't bring themselves to sentence him to death.

expect a verdict a little bit after noon tomorrow.

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Posted
the jury will begin deliberating tomorrow, around noon. the defense wrapped up their case yesterday and the prosecution only called one expert to the stand today. this afternoon, judge ralph erickson gave some basic instructions to the jurors. tomorrow morning will be much of the same. then the jury will decide if they want to take a lunch break or start deliberating right away.

the more this case has progressed, the more i think that he won't get the death penalty. not because he doesn't deserve it, but because it seems to me that it would be very hard to get 12 people to agree to sentence him to death. the jurors could be so scared of thinking they would be held responsible for the killing of another person that they would just rather see him rot in jail. i expect it to take two hours max of deliberating, when the jury realizes that there are a couple people who just won't bring themselves to sentence him to death.

expect a verdict a little bit after noon tomorrow.

If the jury comes back quickly I would expect the sentence will be death. The evidence in this case appears overwhelming. I would be very surprised if the jury did not find the death penalty was warranted. I do not agree with the death penalty, but legally, this case appears to be a prime example of the type of criminal who should receive it.

If there is one or two holdouts, I would expect the deliberations to be lengthy.

Posted

Every day in the Mpls. Tribune they bring out more on this guy. Today they reported the prosecution's closing argument where he stated that Dru was forced to walk to that ravine, naked from the waist down, already sexually assaulted, hands tied behind her back, a knife wound already in her side, freezing cold, and a cloth hood over her head.

In your worst nightmare can you imagine being more scared than she was at that point? I don't think it's possible.

I may have had a hard time voting for the death penalty, but NOT after reading that this morning.

Think about the time in your life when you were the most scared, then multiply that by about fifty, and that's what Dru Sjodin was feeling when she was stumbling towards that ravine with a hood over her head and her hands tied behind her back.

Posted
Every day in the Mpls. Tribune they bring out more on this guy. Today they reported the prosecution's closing argument where he stated that Dru was forced to walk to that ravine, naked from the waist down, already sexually assaulted, hands tied behind her back, a knife wound already in her side, freezing cold, and a cloth hood over her head.

That is readily available information that is printed in the Fargo Forum, Grand Forks Herald, Bismarck Tribune, etc, on a daily basis. We do have newspapers here in Nodak if you can believe it.

Posted

Obviously, none of us could possibly know what's going on with those deliberations as we speak. But if I were a betting man, I'd say that there are one or two jurors that don't have the stomach to impose a death sentence. I hope I'm wrong.

Posted
Obviously, none of us could possibly know what's going on with those deliberations as we speak. But if I were a betting man, I'd say that there are one or two jurors that don't have the stomach to impose a death sentence. I hope I'm wrong.

I agree with your assessment. It definitely is looking that way with the time they are taking, however a man's life is at stake so maybe they are being very diligent and are thoroughly examining all the evidence.

Posted

I agree with your assessment. It definitely is looking that way with the time they are taking, however a man's life is at stake so maybe they are being very diligent and are thoroughly examining all the evidence.

People keep saying that there is a mans life at stake. I do not think so. He is not a man. A real man does not need to rape and torture someone as brutally as he did. He is a monster, nothing more nothing less. There should not even be debate. He should die, for he is not even human.

Posted

Let's say he does get the death penalty. It's an automatic appeal. This process is far from over and will end up costing millions and taking years. After all that, couldn't it still be decades before he even gets put to death?

I'm for the death penalty, but it's a very expensive very long process and sometimes I do question if it is worth it. In this case I think it is.

Posted
Let's say he does get the death penalty. It's an automatic appeal. This process is far from over and will end up costing millions and taking years. After all that, couldn't it still be decades before he even gets put to death?

I'm for the death penalty, but it's a very expensive very long process and sometimes I do question if it is worth it. In this case I think it is.

Federal court is not like many state courts. If he gets death, it will not be decades before he is executed.

Posted

Federal court is not like many state courts. If he gets death, it will not be decades before he is executed.

That's the part I was figuring, though from what I hear the appeals trials will still take a few years.

Posted

Article

The average waiting time of three years in Virginia is one-third the national average of 9.1 years before execution, the report shows.

"Virginia, we believe, has the strongest and best capital-punishment law in the nation," says Tim Murtaugh, spokesman for Virginia Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore. "Our statute is very specific, and it's been tested and retested all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. It's very sound."

Federal death-row inmates wait an average of 4.1 years before being executed.

Death-row inmates in Washington state and Delaware had the third-shortest average waiting time to die, 5.1 years. Inmates in Tennessee and Utah wait the longest time on average, at 11.3 years.

I always thought the feds would have the shortest time, as they cannot appeal in both state and fed court. It looks like they have the second-shortest time - 4.1 years. However, I think this factors in those that waive appeals (e.g. Tim McVeigh). If Rodriguez gets death, it will likely be around 5 years before he is executed.

Posted

Wow....I'm surprised. Content with the verdict but still surprised.

I cant take pleasure in a man's death no matter how terrible his life and this doesnt change things for Dru and her family...

But justice has been served. Today proved our system does work and that the death penalty is warranted.

Your spirit has been hanging around this courtroom too long Dru...go in Peace.

Posted
I cant take pleasure in a man's death no matter how terrible his life...

I can. I have been in the position of having 2 family members murdered, and having their murderer sentenced to death. It was a very good day for our family.

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