According to the latest update from the Associated Press, the jury is asking questions about particular elements of charges against the defendants.   The jurors’ written notes indicate that they are struggling to reach a verdict.  Judge Perry has instructed them to declare a hung jury if they cannot reach a unanimous decision.  Perry even invited the jurors back for additional legal guidance or re-read of testimonies, if needed.  But as of now, there is no indication of when this may or may not happen.  Stay tuned for the latest!

Six days have gone by and the jury is still deliberating in the Anna Nicole Smith drug conspiracy case.  According to the Associated Press, there are 21 separate decisions the panel is evaluating regarding Smith’s former lawyer/lover Stern and Drs. Kapoor and Eroshevich.  Because there are multiple charges against each defendant, the jury will answer a list of questions as to why the defendants are found guilty, if convicted.  For instance, the jurors will be asked “to answer true or not true to whether the defendants conspired to unlawfully prescribe, administer or dispense a controlled substance to an addict.”  The jury must reach a unanimous decision on each charge and with the complex instructions given by Judge Perry, this lengthy trial may drag on.  As of now the jury talked for over 30 hours about the outcome – an outcome which is expected to “reverberate among doctors and pain management patients whose need for drugs is at the heart of California laws.”  Stay tuned for the latest trial updates!