DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) — The jury is in day four of deliberations for the corruption trial of Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price.
They’ve been deciding whether or not Price is guilty of 11 different counts of tax evasion, mail fraud, and bribery for roughly 20 hours now dating back to last Wednesday.
One legal analyst says it’s possible the government’s mishandling of evidence may have planted a seed of doubt.
“It makes the jury sit back and wonder, ‘Are there ulterior motives?'” said attorney Chris Lewis. “‘Are you going after John Wiley Price because you really believe he broke the law, or is there something else in play here?'”
Lewis added he doesn’t expect the deliberations to last into next week.
“They’re going to either start letting the judge know they’re hopelessly deadlocked, or if they’re not and they’re trying to work through it, I think as you see Thursday and Friday looming they’re going to get something done,” Lewis said. “They don’t want to spend another weekend thinking about this.”
If the verdict came Monday, it could be either a bitter or sweet birthday present for Price. He turns 67 years old Monday.
If convicted, Price could spend the rest of his life in prison.