FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – One of the jurors from the high-profile Dayonte Resiles murder trial spoke exclusively to Local 10 News on Sunday.
The case ended in a mistrial after jurors could not come to a unanimous decision.
“I made a tearful vote in favor of manslaughter,” Juror #2 told Local 10 News’ Terrell Forney. “We were very frustrated. I don’t think anyone was ever made to feel bad about their vote, up until that point.”
That point was in court, when the jury seemingly decided to convict on a lesser charge of manslaughter instead of first-degree premeditated murder for the brutal killing of Jill Halliburton Su in her Davie residence during a home invasion seven years ago.
The jury foreperson spoke with Local 10 News last week about why she decided not to go along with the verdict.
“I just took a deep breath and just had that pause and just thought, ‘Is this what I am agreeing to or is this what I am being forced to do?’” she said. “It was a lot of conflict. A lot of disagreements, a lot of arguing.”
Juror #2, who sat next to the foreperson in that moment, said that while there was emotional tension, everyone there respected the process and that there was absolutely no in-fighting in the jury deliberation room.
“It became clear over time that those of us that were pressing for a higher level of conviction were going to have a really hard time bringing people that were supportive of a lower level of charge upward,” he said.