The Verdict’s in—but What Happens When a Juror Changes Their Mind?

“This definitive telling of Ybarra and Jaile’s story by Texas Monthly writer Michael Hall maps both subjects’ lives before their paths crossed and the difficult decades that followed Jaile’s guilty verdict. Especially interesting, it also lays out who Ybarra called in 2017 when she resolved to do something about her 1990 decision, and which parties helped to make things right. It’s a long read, but it’s worth making it to the end for a poignant reunion between Ybarra and Jaile.” -Amanda O’Donnell

AD: “This short 2008 entry from the American Psychological Association delves briefly into the topic of unfair convictions as the result of pressures placed on members of a jury, and is not without a fitting 12 Angry Men reference, saying, ‘in reality, individuals who are tired and under social and time pressures are much more likely to lose willpower and give in.’ This entry stresses the importance of studying the effect pressure has on verdicts and urges jurisdictions to consider the issue when enacting jury reforms.”

AD: “This 2020 writeup for Plaintiff Magazine coaches lawyers on the importance of opening statements, claiming some 80 percent of jurors make up their minds after hearing a lawyer’s introductory statement. Something this article makes clear is how difficult it can be to sway a juror once a pivotal moment during a trial has led them to lean one way or another. Ybarra said that during deliberation, the pushier jurors repeatedly referenced a dramatic moment in Jaile’s trial when the victim took the stand and pointed to him in the courtroom, alleging he was her rapist—this was despite a lack of evidence that tied Jaile to the crime and three alibi witnesses saying he was elsewhere the day of the incident. Ybarra, who remained preoccupied with and unimpressed by the evidence against Jaile throughout his case, was facing a difficult time standing her ground during deliberations.”

AD: “This account of serving as a juror on a murder trial offers a first-person look at how emotionally taxing the role can be—especially when you don’t fully align with the final verdict (or in this case, a future trial’s verdict after an initial mistrial). But this writer also touches on other surprising changes that serving on a jury brought about for her, including making her feel more invested in the lives of her fellow citizens and giving her a renewed sense of duty to her community.”

AD: “Michael Tisius’s story differs from Jaile’s in many ways, but when members of the jury who saw the Missouri man sentenced to death spoke out against their initial decision, they faced an uphill battle similar to what Ybarra navigated in communicating her concerns to the right people. Despite a handful of former jurors saying that they would support Tisius’s sentence being commuted to life in prison, he was put to death last year. This story highlights the difficulty a juror faces in speaking out after a verdict is reached.”