Jurors Ordered to Pay for Mistrial After Crime Scene Visit
Three Ohio jurors were ordered to pay nearly $6,000 after their lunch-break investigations resulted in the mistrial of a murder case. Richland County Common Pleas Judge James DeWeese ordered the fines, as well as letters of apology to the victim’s family members, defendant and fellow jurors, at a hearing Tuesday, reports the Mansfield News Journal.
A fourth juror alerted the court after the three women visited the scene of the shooting death of 25-year-old DeCarrio Couley, which violated the judge’s order, the News Journal reports. Attorneys for the jurors told the News Journal that their clients didn’t realize they were doing anything wrong and had acted in good faith to take their duties seriously.
Updated on Nov. 19 to add the state to the story.
