California signs ‘not guilty’ form in error, Bobby Lee Pearson free but killed hours later
In just a bizarre story from California, a man was freed from jail after the deadlocked jury completed a not-guilty form in error and hours later he was stabbed to death.
The fate of Bobby Lee Pearson shocked Superior Court Judge W. Kent Hamlin after all twelve jurors affirmed the verdict was correct, but they completed the wrong form. Authorities claim they attempt to correct the judge, force a mistrial, but Judge Hamlin had no choice but to free Pearson.
“This has never happened to me in more than 100 jury trials that I have done,” the judge said.
Police say he went to a home to pick up some clothes and other belongings early Thursday morning. There he apparently encountered his sister’s boyfriend, with whom he had a bad history. In their ensuing fight, the boyfriend allegedly stabbed Pearson, killing him.
Pearson and two co-defendants were accused of burglarizing an apartment last year and stealing a video system and a gun. The homeowner allegedly caught the intruders and wrestled with one of them.
There is no form for “hung jury” so they were “confused.”
“I call it a June jury,” defense attorney Linden Lindahl told the Bee, referring to the fact that many of the jurors appeared to be young college students who put off their jury service until the summer. “I guess they see things differently than our normal jurors.”
Lindahl added that he was surprised at the confusion, because Judge Hamlin’s jury instructions had been “by the book.”