The first full day of deliberations in the trial of DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis concluded Thursday without a verdict after jurors heard 11 days of testimony.
The jury deliberated for about seven hours after it began reviewing the case late Wednesday afternoon.
The jury got off to a rough start when one tearful juror said she felt attacked when another juror criticized her for being late. The juror told Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson she could continue on, and the judge assured her that none of the other jurors can vote her off.
“We’re not on ‘Survivor.’ We’re in DeKalb County,” Johnson said to attorneys before talking with the juror.
Jurors will have to consider who to believe: Ellis, who says he did nothing wrong while asking for campaign contributions; or prosecutors, who say Ellis used his power as the county’s leader to coerce political donations from county contractors.
The jury of six women and six men listened to secret recordings of Ellis, accounts from his alleged victims and sworn testimony from Ellis himself, who took the stand in his own defense. They'll consider nine felony counts of bribery, extortion and perjury against Ellis.
In closing arguments Wednesday, District Attorney Robert James called on jurors to hold Ellis responsible for a county government mired in a "sewer of corruption," saying they should send a message.
But defense attorney Craig Gillen said Ellis didn’t strong-arm contractors, characterizing him as an honest official who was legitimately raising money for his 2012 re-election campaign.
Ellis first went on trial last fall, but a jury of 12 women couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict after 11 days of deliberations. The hung jury forced Judge Johnson to declare a mistrial.
Testimony in Ellis’ retrial took four days less than the original trial, which lasted 15 days.
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