Last 3 men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer found not guilty

[Kennah]

Source: ABC News

The last three men to stand trial in connection with a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have been found not guilty on all counts.

Eric Molitor and twin brothers William Null and Michael Null were among the 14 men charged in state and federal court over the alleged plan to kidnap the governor at her vacation home in Antrim County in 2020, largely over the Democratic governor's strict COVID-19 shutdowns.

Molitor, 39, and the Null brothers, both 41, had pleaded not guilty to state charges of providing material support for terrorist acts and illegally possessing firearms.

The Antrim County jury reached its verdict on Friday after about a day of deliberations following a three-week trial. Molitor broke down in tears of relief after his verdict was read.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/3-men-charged-plotting-kidnap-michigan-gov-gretchen/story?id=103154701

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So it appears these 3 presented they were unaware of the plot. It was just a drill.

[JohnSJ]

1. Even a drill implies nefarious intentions.

[jimfields33]

4. Jury didn't seem to think that. Three weeks is a long trial.

[JohnSJ]

5. Obviously, but what did they think the drill was a practice for?

[jimfields33]

7. I don't know. I didn't follow this at all. I actually thought this was settled long ago.

[JohnSJ]

10. same here

[DownriverDem]

2. What will it take?

This is bull.

[Tom Rinaldo]

3. A not guilty verdict is very different than a hung jury

If a 12 person jury was unanimous in concluding that the state did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, than I accept that verdict. Especially if it only took one day to reach that verdict, not that that should matter.

I don't know what stood in the way of conviction, from my perspective. Was the law that they were charged with violating poorly drafted? Did the prosecutors fail in their delivery of the evidence? Or did the defendants have a legitimate good defense?

Others were convicted. Maybe they were more clearly guilty. I believe in our jury system. It's not perfect but it is way better than living someplace where the government is virtually guaranteed to prevail when they decide to prosecute.

[Grins]

6. Verdict didn't have to be unanimous. All it took was one juror to vote "No."

The same plight the Fulton County DA's office learned - every grand juror voted to indict Trump & Co - except one. Who voted, every vote, to not indict the orange demagogue.

Jury selection in Georgia will critical.

[MichMan]

8. In this case it was unanimous

[Tom Rinaldo]

9. In most juristictions, trial jury verdicts have to be unanimous otherwise it is a hung jury

The same rules do not always apply to a grand jury, either for number of members or the vote threshold to, in the case of a grand jury, indict. Unless Michigan is one of those places where a jury does not need to reach a unanimous verdict, less than a unanimous vote would not result in an acquittal, it would result in a hung jury, and then prosecutors would have to decide whether they wanted to retry the case or drop it.

You are 100% correct about the importance of Jury selection in Georgia, not to mention Southern Florida or D.C. I am not certain prosecutors would retry the case in any of those venues if the result of an initial trial was a hung jury, even if that was because of only a single hold out refusing to convict.

[brooklynite]

11. Absolutely wrong...

ONE juror disagreeing would have resulted in a hung jury and a retrial. ALL jurors must agree for a guilty/not guilty verdict.

[orangecrush]

12. +1