A jury room dispute is now public following a closely watched Shenandoah County murder trial.
Members of the jury recommended on Thursday that Jody Lynn Bradley serve nine years in prison for the second-degree murder of Brendon Manning Barker, a 16-year-old boy who was shot while visiting Bradley’s daughter.
Some jurors are now arguing that his sentence was too light, according to the Northern Virginia Daily. One of the jurors claimed another “blackmailed” the rest of the panel by refusing to budge on the lesser sentence. Second-degree murder carries up to a 40-year term.
One woman on the jury said she agreed to the sentence in order to prevent a hung jury.
