No decision from Lac-Megantic jurors

A Quebec judge told the jurors at the LacMegantic trial Monday to take all the time they need to reach a verdict for three former railway employees accused in the tragedy that killed 47 people.

Earlier in the day, the jury — which began deliberating last Thursday — sent Quebec Superior Court Justice Gaetan Dumas an envelope, sparking excitement at the courthouse in Sherbrooke about a possible verdict.

It was not to be, however, as jurors instead asked Dumas for a dictionary and for clarification on various judicial matters such as the concept of “reasonable doubt.”

It was the first time jurors had emerged since being sequestered.

They must decide the fate of Tom Harding, Richard Labrie and Jean Demaitre. The three are charged with criminal negligence causing the death of 47 people after an oil-laden runaway train derailed and exploded in the small town on July 6, 2013.

Dumas rejected the request for a dictionary, telling the eight men and four women the only evidence they could use had to have been presented in the courtroom.

“No dictionary was filed in evidence,” he told jurors. “Use the common sense of the words. Use your daily vocabulary. If there is a term on which you are having particular difficulty, don’t hesitate to come back.”