LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas jury will continue its deliberations on Tuesday in the trial of Robert Telles, the former Clark County official accused of killing a local reporter. But what goes into those deliberations?
We wanted to give you a look behind closed doors at what happens when a jury weighs evidence in a case like this.
Nevada law outlines what's meant to happen after the prosecution and defense give their closing arguments in a criminal trial.
An officer of the court will first take the men and women of the jury to a private room where they will weigh the evidence.
What are they allowed to look at?
The evidence they're allowed to look at includes their written jury instructions, plus all papers and other items and materials that were received as evidence in the case.
They are not allowed to look over depositions, copies of public records or private documents.
What happens if they have a question?
As has already happened in the Telles case, the jury is allowed to ask questions for clarification or help looking at evidence.
For example, on Monday, jurors simply asked for help zooming in on a video, so a court IT technician was sent back to show them how to do it.
If there's any disagreement from them about any part of the testimony they hear — or if they want to be informed on any point of the law — they would be brought back into the courtroom for that clarification.
How long can this process take?
According to the state, there's no set time limit, as long as the jury comes together on a decision.
The only way it could end without a decision is if it doesn't seem like the jury can reach an agreement after a reasonable amount of time. At that point, the jury can be discharged and a mistrial can be declared.
