Three jurors in the federal corruption trial of former Sen. John Edwards said on Friday that they believed Edwards was guilty of at least one of the campaign-finance charges against him but that the government had failed to prove its case.
"I think he definitely had some knowledge of where the money was going, especially the money from Mrs. Mellon," juror Ladonna Foster told NBC's "Today." She was speaking of the heiress Rachel Mellon, who gave more than $750,000 to help Edwards.
Foster and her fellow jurors Cindy Aquaro and David Recchion, the foreman, also said that the credibility of the government's star witness, Andrew Young, a former aide to Edwards, had been a major concern for the jurors, who deliberated for more than 50 hours over nine days.
Edwards was acquitted on one of the six charges, which was based on a $200,000 check that Mellon had written him. But the jury remained deadlocked on the five other counts, and a mistrial was declared.
On ABC's "Good Morning America," three others said that they did not think there was enough evidence to convict. Jonathan Nunn said he voted "not guilty" on all six counts, explaining that he saw the money as a personal gift, not a campaign contribution. He said a small group of jurors had thought otherwise, which is what extended the deliberations.
Jurors Theresa Fuller and Sheila Lockwood told anchor George Stephanopoulos that they did not think there was enough evidence presented to find Edwards guilty. Lockwood said, "I just felt that he didn't receive any of the money, so you can't really charge him for money that he got."
When asked why it was so difficult to reach a guilty verdict when they believed he was guilty of some of the charges, Aquaro said: "I think he was guilty, but the evidence just was not there for us to prove guilt."
NEW YORK TIMES
