For immediate release – September 19, 2007



Hung Jury in Favor of Acquittal in Rod Coronado Free Speech Case

San Diego, Calif.-After more than two full days of deliberation, a 12-person jury informed Judge Jeffrey Miller they were hopelessly deadlocked and determined that further deliberation would not deliver unanimity. Outside the courtroom, attorneys were informed that the majority was voting for acquittal of the environmental and animal rights activist on trial for a speech he gave in San Diego in 2003. In order to convict under the obscure statute, (18 USC § 842 (p)(2)(A)), which makes it a crime to demonstrate how to build a destructive device with the intent that it be used in furtherance of a crime of violence), the jury would have had to determine on three criteria: that his speech was instructive, that he had intent to incite those present to violent action, and that the incitement was to imminent action. Otherwise, such speech is protected under the First Amendment. A status conference was scheduled for September 28 in the same court to determine whether the case will continue. Rod Coronado is headed home to Tucson, Arizona with his wife to reunite with his children and return to his job.

Omar Figueroa, an attorney on the legal team said, “We had a good jury and they upheld the Constitution. It’s a great day for Constitutional Rights.”

Attorney Tony Serra, also part of the legal team said, “If these prosecutors opt to re-try this case, then they are the puppets we know they are, in the business of suppressing Constitutional rights. We hung the jury probably 10-2 or 9-3 (that specific information was not available from the jurors), so we know they can never win. So they would be fools to retry, but this is political and their agenda is political. If they re-try, we will win again.”

Attorney Jerry Singleton reminded those present that Coronado has not been an advocate of direct action since 2006, and in fact renounced the type of direct action he formerly participated in, and is opting instead to work on building sustainable communities with his family.

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