Day 11 - October 11, 2019
The jury convicted Sigfredo Garcia of first-degree murder and conspiracy, acquitted him on solicitation, and confirmed the verdict on individual polling, while jurors remained deadlocked on Katherine Magbanua despite a modified Allen charge, prompting Judge Hankinson to declare a mistrial as to her.
Full day summary
6:24:46 1. Garcia Verdict and Magbanua Mistrial
The second morning of deliberations produced jury questions on premeditation, principal liability, and split verdicts; the court handled a partial-verdict procedure; Sigfredo Garcia was found guilty on counts one and two and not guilty on count three; an Allen charge was given for Katherine Magbanua; and after the jury reported a deadlock on Magbanua, Judge Hankinson declared a mistrial as to her and scheduled a case management conference for October 22.
Highlights
Jury Question - Premeditation and Principal Liability jury event Jurors submitted a written question asking whether someone can be a principal to premeditation without personally premeditating, raising the relationship between premeditation and principal liability during deliberations. Split-Verdict Procedure and Allen-Charge Ruling “With regards to, if the defendant that's hung is Mr. Garcia, we would not be requesting Allen charge, just for the record.” — Saam Zangeneh Garcia's counsel conditionally withdraws consent to the Allen charge and places the objection on the record, revealing a strategic divergence from Magbanua's defense on this procedural question. Split-Verdict Procedure and Allen-Charge Ruling ruling Judge Hankinson ruled he would accept the verdict on whichever defendant the jury had decided and give an Allen charge on the hung defendant regardless of which one it was; both defendants were to remain seated when the jury entered. Sigfredo Garcia Verdict and Jury Polling ruling Judge Hankinson reads the jury's verdict: Garcia guilty on count one (first-degree murder) and count two (conspiracy to commit first-degree murder), not guilty on count three (solicitation), dated October 11, 2019. Sigfredo Garcia Verdict and Jury Polling “State of Florida v. Sigfredo Garcia. We, the jury, find as follows as to count one: the defendant is guilty of first-degree murder.” — James C. Hankinson The court reads the jury's primary finding — guilty of first-degree murder — the most consequential count in the Garcia trial. Sigfredo Garcia Verdict and Jury Polling “We, the jury, find as follows as to count three: the defendant is not guilty.” — James C. Hankinson The sole acquittal in Garcia's verdict — not guilty on count three — producing a mixed outcome across the three charges. Sigfredo Garcia Verdict and Jury Polling jury event At Zangeneh's request, Judge Hankinson polls all twelve jurors individually by number; each confirms the verdicts as their own and as the verdict of the jury as a whole, and the court announces unanimous confirmation and orders the verdict filed. Allen Charge - Katherine Magbanua Deliberations jury event Judge Hankinson delivered an Allen charge to the jury deadlocked on Katherine Magbanua, instructing jurors to resume deliberations using a structured turn-taking exercise to surface weaknesses in each juror's position, and warning that failure to reach a verdict would result in a mistrial. Allen Charge - Katherine Magbanua Deliberations “There are two things a jury can lawfully do: agree on a verdict, or disagree on what the facts of the case may truly be. There is nothing to disagree about on the law.” — James C. Hankinson Core Allen charge framing: the judge distinguishes factual deadlock — which only the jury can resolve — from legal confusion, which he offered to clear up himself. Katherine Magbanua Mistrial Declaration procedural action Judge Hankinson formally declared a mistrial as to Katherine Magbanua after the foreperson confirmed on the record that the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on any of the three charges. Garcia Sentencing Jury Logistics procedural action Judge Hankinson set Garcia's next jury proceeding for Monday at 1 p.m. to accommodate an unidentified juror's morning doctor's appointment and previewed roughly a half day of testimony Monday followed by argument and instructions Tuesday morning.