Opinion ID: 2708834
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Juror Statements

Text: After returning the guilty verdict in this case, several jurors were placed back into the Northern District jury pool. Five were questioned during voir dire in connection with subsequent trials, particularly concerning whether a defendant’s failure to testify in his own defense would influence their deliberative process. Three gave potentially problematic answers, referencing Torres-Chavez’s failure to testify in his trial and suggesting that they could not help but draw an adverse inference. The United States Attorney’s Office brought these statements to defense counsel’s attention, and defense counsel included an allegation of juror bias in his November 4 motion for a judgment of acquittal. The district court found the juror statements inadmissible under Fed. R. Evid. 606(b) and, in the alternative, held that the statements did not show that Torres-Chavez received an unfair trial.