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Doug Darrell Acquitted Of Marijuana Charges Through Jury Nullification In New Hampshire
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| Contributor | Hikikomori Blitzkrieg! |
| Last Edited | Hikikomori Blitzkrieg! Sep 18, 2012 12:35am |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Hilary Hanson |
| Media | Website - Huffington Post |
| News Date | Monday, September 17, 2012 10:10:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | A New Hampshire Rastafarian facing felony marijuana cultivation charges was declared not guilty on Friday because a jury believed that punishing him for the offense would be unjust.
59-year-old Doug Darrell was arrested in 2009, after a National Guard helicopter flying over his home found he was growing 15 marijuana plants in his backyard, according to WNTK. At Darrell's trial, PRWEB reports, jurors nullified the case against him.
Jury nullification occurs when a jury concludes that a defendant is technically guilty, but fails to convict the defendant on the grounds that the law in question is unjust. While jury nullification is legal, judges frequently do not inform juries of this power, and may prohibit defense attorneys from doing so, according to the University of Missouri.
At Darrell's trial, however, the jurors were fully informed of their nullification power, the Laconia Daily Sun reports. As per the recommendation of defense attorney Mark Sisti, Judges James O'Neill read aloud to the jury:
"Even if you find that the State has proven each and every element of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt, you may still find the defendant not guilty if you have a conscientious feeling that a not guilty verdict would be a fair result in this case."
Sisti argued that convicting Darrell would be unfair, given that he was growing marijuana for personal medical and religious use.
After deliberating for six hours, the jury unanimously declared Darrell not guilty. |
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