The jurors reach the courthouse at 9 a.m. As has been the routine, they are immediately escorted by Mercer County sheriff's officers from the bus, through a side basement door, and up the elevator to the fifth-floor jury room. There, they are locked inside until the judge is ready to begin court proceedings downstairs on the fourth floor. Every morning since the trial began, doughnuts and coffee compliments of the judge await the jurors when they arrive in the jury room. On many mornings, the jurors also bring fresh-baked goods from home.
Today there is only the store-bought brand.
Like every day, they chatter with each other hastily finishing up stories that started during breakfast. Almost immediately, the jurors start sifting through The Krych Report, a 400-page booklet provided by the defense that outlines Timmendequas' troubled childhood. The defense had argued that Timmendequas suffered sexual and physical abuse at the hands of his father and was raised by a neglectful mother. Most jurors agree they can't be sure. I don't think anyone comes into the world thinking that they will be posed with a decision like this.