That was enough to persuade the jurors to convict Mr. Sutton and send him to prison for 25 years.

The day before, jurors had convicted John William King of Byrd's murder.

The jurors then convicted the defendant, Wilfredo Rodriguez, in a narcotics case.

No juror will convict this poor fellow.

That was the single count on which the jurors convicted the Mayor.

"It was clear," Petrocelli says, "that, no matter how strong the evidence, some jurors would simply not convict."

Should these jurors convict him of killing the detectives, they will return in the new year for a separate trial on whether to impose the death penalty.

In the state trial this year, the jurors did not convict him of the most serious charge of murder, but rather manslaughter.

In 2003, jurors convicted another man of the 1996 murder of his ex-girlfriend on a Forest Park trail.

But jurors rejected the argument, and convicted Mr. Royster of all counts.