Jury Deliberations Enter 5th Day In Racketeering Trial Of Former Ironworkers' Boss
By Tony Hanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- This will be the fifth day of deliberations for a federal jury in a trial that lasted barely 7 days. And it could be a jury in trouble. Former Ironworkers union local 401 boss Joseph Dougherty allegedly headed a reign of terror targetting non-union job sites.
The trial judge admonished jurors last week that they must deliberate and they took an oath, after he received a note from the jury foreman.
The judge did not disclose details of the note, but his comments suggest at least one juror may not have been fully engaged in the process.
The jury is considering whether Joseph Dougherty conspired in the violence. There's no question the violent acts occured -- many victims told a similar story.
One witness testified on damage allegedly caused by malicious acts: "The bulldozers and some of the backhoes and excavators, the windows were broken out. Multiple anchor bolts for the steel buildings were bent over."
But the defense contends union business agents and members acted on their own to build up their own reputations, with an eye toward taking over for the the aging boss.
The prosecution's case lasted for six days. The 73-year-old Dougherty has pleaded not guilty.