BALTIMORE (MD)
TheWBALChannel.com
POSTED: 5:55 am EST February 18, 2005
BALTIMORE -- One of the jurors who voted to convict Maurice Blackwell on three child sexual abuse charges said a night's sleep helped his fellow jurors reach a unanimous decision.
After five hours of fruitless deliberations Wednesday, Anthony Long said he went home convinced that Blackwell wouldn't be convicted. But the divisions disappeared when deliberations resumed Thursday morning.
Long said jurors were swayed by the stoic look on Blackwell's face and Blackwell's failure to look at the jury. He says Stokes' shooting of Blackwell in 2002 was very compelling because Stokes had once looked up to the priest.