Jurors in Blankenship Trial Can’t Agree

Jurors have told a judge they cannot agree on a verdict in the trial of ex-Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship, but the judge ordered them to continue deliberating. The jury sent a note to Judge Irene Berger late Thursday morning asking how long they should continue deliberating and saying they could not agree. Berger assembled jurors in the courtroom and told them that given the length of the trial and the number of witnesses, they must continue trying to reach a verdict. The jury deliberated for an hour Tuesday and all day Wednesday.
Blankenship is charged with conspiring to break safety laws and defrauding mine regulators at West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch Mine, and lying to financial regulators and investors about safety. The mine exploded in 2010, killing 29 men.