And it’s over. The jury has been hung because they couldn’t reach a verdict. Tough sentencing, but that’s the law.
Watch below:
Apparently the judge still can rule on the case and here’s what happens next:
A hopelessly deadlocked jury brought an end to the corruption trial of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez Thursday with the declaration of a mistrial, after a contentious 11-week courtroom drama that concluded without a final act.
The government now must decide whether to retry the Democratic lawmaker from New Jersey and co-defendant Salomon Melgen, a wealthy Florida ophthalmologist, who are accused of swapping lavish gifts for government favors.
In a note sent to out shortly before noon, jurors said they were unable to reach a verdict. While saying they had “reviewed all the evidence slowly, thoroughly and in great detail,” they concluded: “We cannot reach a unanimous decision on any of the charges, nor are we willing to move away from our strong convictions.”
Prosecutors urged U.S. District Judge William H. Walls, who is presiding over the case in federal court in Newark, to send the panel back to the jury room to see if they could reach at least a partial verdict. But the judge reluctantly declared a mistrial after questioning jurors privately with prosecutors and defense attorneys for nearly an hour.
That means that prosecutors could press for another trial…