Hung Jury in Favor of Acquittal in Rod Coronado Free Speech Case

San Diego, Calif.-After more than two full days of deliberation, a

12-person jury informed Judge Jeffrey Miller they were hopelessly

deadlocked and determined that further deliberation would not

deliver unanimity. Outside the courtroom, attorneys were informed

that the majority was voting for acquittal of the environmental and

animal rights activist on trial for a speech he gave in San Diego

in 2003. In order to convict under the obscure statute, (18 USC §

842 (p)(2)(A)), which makes it a crime to demonstrate how to build

a destructive device with the intent that it be used in furtherance

of a crime of violence), the jury would have had to determine on

three criteria: that his speech was instructive, that he had intent

to incite those present to violent action, and that the incitement

was to imminent action. Otherwise, such speech is protected under

the First Amendment. A status conference was scheduled for

September 28 in the same court to determine whether the case will

continue. Rod Coronado is headed home to Tucson, Arizona with his

wife to reunite with his children and return to his job.

Omar Figueroa, an attorney on the legal team said, “We had a good

jury and they upheld the Constitution. It’s a great day for

Constitutional Rights.”

Attorney Tony Serra, also part of the legal team said, “If these

prosecutors opt to re-try this case, then they are the puppets we

know they are, in the business of suppressing Constitutional

rights. We hung the jury probably 10-2 or 9-3 (that specific

information was not available from the jurors), so we know they can

never win. So they would be fools to retry, but this is political

and their agenda is political. If they re-try, we will win again.”

Attorney Jerry Singleton reminded those present that Coronado has

not been an advocate of direct action since 2006, and in fact

renounced the type of direct action he formerly participated in,

and is opting instead to work on building sustainable communities

with his family.

For more information, please visit supportrod.org