Ghost Ship Trial Defense Attorney Believes Verdict Will Come Next Week
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) -- It could be a while before jurors come back with two separate verdicts for the two defendants in the Ghost Ship Fire trial. Tony Serra, defense attorney for Ghost Ship warehouse master tenant Max Harris and creative director Derick Almena, said he thinks the verdicts will come next week.
He said to have "patience" as the jury of nine women and three men weigh months of testimony, evidence and arguments.
The jurors will have to vote on each individual count--36 for the 36 victims that died in the deadly fire in 2016.
"You sit and you mull, and sometimes you sit with optimism and then fall into some introspective gloom," Serra said Tuesday.
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The defense believes the jury will take a responsible and methodical approach to reaching its verdict.
"They have to dignify their participation in the process...their work," Serra said.
All 12 jurors must come to a unanimous decision in the criminal trial. If the jury can't reach an agreement within a reasonable amount of time, the judge will declare a mistrial.