A juror in the Vanderbilt rape retrial of Cory Batey said the jury “negotiated” with one of its members to avoid a hung jury.
Bobby Lewis, told NewsChannel 5 that 11 jurors were ready to convict Batey as guilty as charged on all counts.
Yet, the 12th person did not agree, and did not was to convict him on all charges.
“One juror refused to see the evidence that was so obvious to everyone else… We could’ve left this with a hung jury, but instead we negotiated so that this juror agreed to find him guilty,” said Lewis.
He then went on to express his concern for the victim, saying that the men involved were “monsters” and should be “locked up for the maximum time possible and they can’t do this to anyone else.”
“I have prayed for the victim in this case since day one of the trial, and will continue to do so. I hope she can overcome the horrible things that happened to her and will not let this define her,” Lewis said.
The jury deliberated for more than two hours before returning a verdict.
He was found guilty Friday night on one count of aggravated rape, two counts of attempted aggravated rape, three counts of aggravated sexual battery, and one count of facilitation of aggravated rape.
The most serious of which, aggravated rape, carries a 15-25 year penalty.
