Briefly—I suspect that the jury in the Raynella Dossett-Leath trial will hang. The prosecutor seems sincere and intense. The defense provided substantial facts (evidence and testimony).

My guess is that the jurors who rely on fact will find that there is doubt, and the jurors who rely on gut instinct will find that they do not believe the defense.

Frankly, this is a real whodunit. It hinges on how the jurors interpret “beyond a reasonable doubt.” As I have said before, this is an ambiguous phrase. It favors the prosecution.

I admit it: I would rather that one guilty nurse were set free than that a single innocent person were convicted. In this case, the jurors can speculate about what happened and how the facts in their possession could favor the defense or the prosecution. But speculation can’t condemn a person.

I can think of a dozen or more scenarios—none of which were presented in court—to explain one side or the other. This case is fertile ground for fiction. I will follow it, no matter what happens.

If I were a juror in this trial, I would be torn, but in the end I would say I just don’t know what happened.

To be continued…