Prof. Laura Appleman quoted in Statesman Journal story

by Sarah Carlson,

  • Law Prof. Laura Appleman was quoted in a Statesman Journal story October 17.
    Law Prof. Laura Appleman was quoted in a Statesman Journal story October 17.

The Statesman Journal quoted Laura Appleman, professor of criminal law, in a Tuesday story on potential juror misconduct.

Seven years have passed since the well-known trial of Bruce and Joshua Turnidge, a father and son convicted of a 2008 fatal bombing that left two police officers dead and injured another. A juror from that trial, Tasha Hobbs, sent a letter to Marion County Judge Courtland Geyer in early September. In the letter, she said she was taking prescription pain medication during the trial and couldn’t stay awake. She thinks she might have biased the jury to convict the men.

“I can honestly say I don’t believe I would have made the same decisions at all,” Hobbs wrote in the letter. “It’s eating at me that 2 men may have spent the last 10 years in prison because of my actions.”

Appleman said it’s unusual for jurors to come forward in this way following a trial. She said she didn’t think the letter, with its preliminary information, would result in much action.

“Courts are very reluctant to overturn a jury verdict unless there’s evidence of severe misconduct,” she said.

It’s important, Appleman said, to keep verdicts stable in a justice system where trials by jury are key. The Oregon Supreme Court upheld the Turnidge’s death sentences in 2016.

The post-conviction attorney for the two men said in his 40 years as a criminal defense attorney, potential juror misconduct has rarely resulted in major case changes. He and the others involved in the case will wait and see what this allegation amounts to.

Read the full Statesman Journal story.

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