Second Trial Jurors Cried Upon Rendering Guilty Verdict + LWOP Sentence and Never Agreed on Motive

Associated Press - Daily Durant Democrat Newspaper - April 18, 1996

Many have heard bits and pieces of the second jury's deliberation process, and their respective thoughts on the case. A great video by Menendeztrials features comments made by the jurors of both trials, but there are statements in the last two columns of the following article I found that are often overlooked and neglected:

For jurors, the trial's emotional impact was overwhelming. Though they said their decisions were made purely on the law, they spoke of hiding their feelings behind stony faces, of fighting back tears when lawyer Barry Levin pleaded for Erik’s life, and crying when they rendered their guilty verdict and their life penalty recommendation, "It will always be something I will relive,” said Wolfberg, who recently passed the bar.

Erik impressed juror Seitz as "a nice person" during his long stay on the witness stand, and juror Lesley Hillings said panelists were convinced that the brothers had a horrible childhood.

"We felt the parents were very controlling, demanding. We felt they did not have a normal childhood and we felt sympathy." Hillings said. "We did think there was psychological abuse."

As for the alleged sexual abuse of the sons by their father, she said, "I don't think we will ever know if that's true."

The jurors said they never believed that greed was the brothers' sole motive in killing the parents, nor did they ever agree on a motive.

"We're glad that motive wasn't an element of the crime," Wolfberg said. "We wouldn't have been able to come up with it."