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Juror recalls many sleepless nights during McDonnell trial

Posted at 1:11 AM, Sep 05, 2014
and last updated 2014-09-05 01:29:01-04

HENRICO, Va. — Juror Kathleen Carmody said she felt there might be a hung jury a “couple of times” during jury deliberations.

However, she said the “evidence spoke for itself,” and the verdict was “necessary.”

Carmody, who lives in Glen Allen, is a project manager for the Association For Molecular Pathology in Bethesda, Maryland.

She said she had “many sleepless nights” over the past six weeks, while developing a “tremendous bond” with her fellow jurors.

Carmody said the jury painstakingly reviewed files that cluttered the deliberation room before coming to a unanimous agreement.

She added that she felt “tremendous compassion” for the McDonnell family, and it was very difficult to watch their reaction to the verdict.

“I am spritual, and I had to leave it to God’s hands,” Carmody said.

Carmody described Jonnie Williams as “charismatic and gregarious,” and said he had nothing to lose by testifying.

When asked if she believed his testimony, Carmody said Williams “had a lot of ‘I don’t recalls…a lot of things he didn’t remember.’”

Carmody described her reaction to listening to testimony about Maureen McDonnell’s alleged personal problems as “uncomfortable.”

As for Judge James Spencer, Carmody said he was “terrific and she loved him.”