Hall murder jury ends Day 4 without a verdict
COURT: Sequestered jurors to continue deliberations Monday
After four days of deliberations, the jury in the Jeremy Hall seconddegree murder trial failed to reach a decision late Sunday.
That means they will return to court Monday morning to review more of the evidence.
At one point on Sunday, after the jury had a question, they returned to the courtroom where Justice Joseph Henderson reminded them they should keep an open mind and that their verdict must be based on the evidence, and only the evidence.
Later in the day, the jury returned again and they wanted to hear more of the testimony surrounding the time when Kelvin Sawa was getting ready to hang himself.
The judge read from his notes some of the comments the inmates gave during their testimony, but said that if they wanted to hear the actual audio tapes, it could be arranged.
Over the last few days, court has lasted late into the evening before the judge called it a day and the jury was put up at a local hotel for the night.
On Sunday evening, jury members ended up having their dinner, arrangements were made for them to stay at a hotel for their fourth night, and they were instructed to return Monday morning.
One person who has been in court nearly every day since the beginning of the trial is Lisa Sawa, Kelvin’s younger sister. On many days, she has been joined by other family members and close friends.
When the jury began deliberations on Thursday, one person in the courtroom who has been following the trial closely, predicted a decision might be reached in three or four hours, or it might take three or four days.
Sunday was day number four and no decision had been reached near the end of the day.
The front doors of the Welland courthouse remained locked over the weekend, but court officers were inside to let anyone in who is connected with this case.
What made the weekend different from any other day when court is held is that it was quiet.
There were no members of the public rushing in or out of the different courtrooms as their matters were being handled. There were no lawyers trying to discuss matters with their clients. No one was going in or out of the court services office looking for information or trying to access legal documents.
Upstairs on the second floor, in courtroom No. 4, it was just another day of court, except there was more of just waiting around for something to happen.
On a few occasions during the weekend, the jury came back into the courtroom with a question they wanted to have answered, or they wanted more information
about some of the evidence that had been presented during the course of the trial.
On Saturday, the jury began their deliberations at about 10 a.m. and remained in the building until shortly before 9 p.m. when they were taken to a local hotel where they spent the night.
On a few occasions throughout the day, jury members were permitted outside in front of the courthouse for some fresh air, or to have a cigarette. Two court officials remained with them at all times.
During a jury trial, no one is permitted to have any contact or speak to members of the jury once they begin their deliberations. Any violations are brought to the attention of the judge.
On Saturday, some members of the jury had family members drop off a change of clothes, along with some cigarettes, which was an early indication they were not close to reaching a decision.