Majority of Jurors Voted Guilty on Murder Charges

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

BOSTON, Mass. - The official tally sheets for the jurors in the murder and racketeering trial of Barry J. Cadden shows the majority voted for a guilty finding for deaths in four states.
Though a unanimous vote was required for a conviction eight jurors voted for a guilty finding on second degree murder in cases from Michigan and Tennessee, while four voted not guilty.
In the Indiana cases the vote was 9-3 in favor of a guilty finding. The vote for a guilty finding was 7-5 on the Maryland cases.
In the Virginia cases the vote was 3 for guilty and 9 not guilty. In the Florida and North Carolina cases the vote was 12-0 for a not guilty verdict.
As explained in the 50-page jury instructions the jury had to consider the specific state laws in deciding their votes on the second degree murder charges. Virginia, Florida and North Carolina statutes had stricter standards for reaching a guilty finding.
Here are the 25 second degree murder cases in the indictment.

Michigan: Karina Baxter (9/23/12), Paula Brent (11/17/12), Gayle Gipson (10/26/12), Donna Kruzich (10/8/12), Lynn Lapierre  10/17/12), Mary Pletti (8/23/12), Sally Roe (10/18/12), Emma Todd

Tennessee: Marie Hester (11/1/12), Eddie Lovelace (9/17/12), Donald McDavid (11/4/12), Diana Reed (10/3/12) , Thomas Rybinski (9/29/12), Carol Wetton (4/16/13), Earline Williams (10/15/12)

Indiana: Pauline Burema (10/10/12), Kathy Dillon (11/5/12), Alice Machowiak (12/10/12)

Maryland: Bahman Kashi (1/28/13), Brenda Rozek (9/16/12), Edna Young (12/31/12)

Virginia: Kathy Sinclair (1/19/13), Douglas Wingate (9/18/12)

Florida: Godwin Mitchell (3/18/13)

North Carolina: Elwina Shaw (10/19/12)