Michigan v. Budzyn Deliberations Temporarily On Hold Background Special Report Video Index Feb. 18 Update Feb. 19 Update Feb. 20 Update Feb. 23 Update Feb. 24 Update Feb. 25 Update Feb. 26 Update Mar. 2 Update Mar. 3 Update Mar. 4 Update Mar. 5 Update Mar. 6 Update Mar. 9 Update Mar. 11 Update Mar. 16 Update Mar. 18 Update Verdict (DETROIT, MICHIGAN - March 18) Jury deliberations in the retrial of former police officer Walter Budzyn have been temporarily put on hold because of a sick juror. As the fifth day of deliberations was about to begin, Judge Thomas Jackson received a phone call from the juror's spouse. He suspended jury deliberations and sent the jurors home for the day. Later that afternoon, the sick juror confirmed that he would be ready to return to court the next day. Archives& Commentary from the Detroit News If the juror was not able to return, Judge Jackson could have either suspended jury deliberations for another day or replaced the juror with one of the alternate jurors. Although the sick juror has not been identified by name, it is known that he is a white male. Prosecutors have already said that if an alternate juror must be picked, they will file a motion to have the first alternate juror chosen. This would change the current racial makeup of the jury from eight whites, three blacks, and one Asian to seven whites, four blacks, and one Asian. (The gender makeup would also change from nine women to three men to 10 women and two men.) In addition, choosing an alternate juror would most likely extend the jury deliberations by a few days. Budzyn faces second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges in the beating death of Malice Green. So far, jurors have deliberated for approximately 20-and-a-half hours over four days. --Bryan Robinson top of page