And they hope that the Dassey trial will supply them.

The jurors in the Avery trial had agreed to a pact of silence. But, the large gaps of evidence and the lack of a defined crime scene left some with a feeling that evidence had been withheld.

WGBA-TV interviewed Rick Mahler and an unidentified woman juror who are attending the Brendan Dassey trial in an attempt to feel more comfortable with their part in the Avery verdict. Both are taking notes.

They believe that prosecution withheld evidence for use in the Dassey trial. The huge gaps in evidence and lack of a defined crime scene are disturbing. They still agree with the guilty verdict.

The burden on jurors can be heavy as this demonstrates. We would all like certain facts when making decisions that can have a great impact. Some of us can live with our decisions no matter what. Some of us second guess our decisions.

So far, there is some new evidence in this trial. The prosecution has introduced leg irons and handcuffs owned by Brendan’s mother, Barb Janda Tadych. These items were found in her bedroom. Whether this is real evidence or an attempt to deceive the jury and undermine the mother remains to be seen. But, this does not fill in the blanks from the Avery Trial.

Three charges filed against Steven Avery were the result of the Dassey confession. These charges were dropped. That will add to the confusion. Add to that, the prosecution is eschewing scientific evidence in favor of appeals to emotion.

I noted omissions in the testimony of lead investigator Tom Fassbender. Some of these were corrected by defense attorney Ray Edelstein. Special Prosecutor Ken Kratz was constantly juxtaposing different times during his questioning of Fassbender.

If these former jurors are looking for facts of the death of Teresa Halbach, they won’t find them in this trial. The prosecution must rely on obscuring facts and manipulating emotion.

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by Brian McCorkle