UPDATE
In a stunning reversal of fortune, a jury acquitted Robert Bell of all charges, minutes after it apppeared the had convicted him of first degree manslaughter in the December 2012 shooting of his wife.
UPDATE
Jury sends judge note announcing they have reached verdict.
To be updated
DANBURY- A split appears to have developed among jurors in manslaughter trial of a New Fairfield man accused of fatally shooting his wife as the six-member panel returned to superior court Tuesday for the first time since the Thanksgiving break.
A note from a female juror expressing concerns that the jury was “not being allowed to follow the process” prompted Judge Robin Pavia to summon them back into the courtroom to remind them that the deliberations required “everyone to participate and be respectful of each others’ opinions.”
The juror, who was questioned separately by the judge while other jury members remained in the deliberation room, did not specifically discuss who or what she thought was preventing the jury from working toward a unanimous decision, and she was not asked that question by the judge.
But emotion crept into her voice as she told Pavia that she also believed some other jurors shared her concerns, based on comments they had made during their discussions.
“This is really difficult for me to do. I thought about it all weekend,” she said, explaining her decision to write the note.
“I felt you needed to know what we were struggling with,” she said.
Bell, 64, is accused of fatally shooting his 47-year-old wife, Svetlana, to death in the kitchen of their New Fairfield home on Dec. 8, 2012.
He testified, and the defense claims, that Svetlana Bell was threatening him with a knife and the shooting was in self-defense.