Jurors want to hear testimony again in Myspace Murder case
TRENTON – Jurors in the My Space murder case on Tuesday called for read-backs of the testimony of two detectives and again watched some of the four hours of suspect Keith Williams’ talks with investigators.
Keith Williams
So much for any thought the case against Williams was a slam-dunk in which the jurors might deliberate an hour or so.
The seven women and five men of the jury first convened to talk evidence late Monday afternoon.
Soon after returning Tuesday morning, they called for the court clerk to read back for them the testimony of Mercer County Detective Robert Cowan and state police Lt. Ron Hampton, who the prosecution called in as an expert on gang language to help jurors understand some of the street dialogue.
They heard what Hampton said again before lunch and then started looking again at the video of suspect Williams going from tough to conciliatory to meek in the more than four hours of questioning about the murder of Arrel Bell, 20, on May 1, 2008.
The case is being heard before Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert C. Billmeier, who sent the jury home about half way into the video. The jury also has to hear the read-back of Cowan’s testimony Wednesday.
