A second day of deliberations ended without a verdict Monday in Britney Spears' driving-without-a-license case.
Jurors left for the day after saying earlier that they were hopelessly deadlocked. A foreman said they had voted three times since Friday, and each time failed to reach an unanimous conclusion. The three votes were all 10 to 2, the foreman said without indicating which way.
The jurors appeared glum after lunch, with many on the panel telling Superior Court Judge James A. Steele that they didn't think an agreement could be reached.
Steele questioned whether more could be done to encourage discussion or reach a verdict.
"I think with each return to the assembly room, everyone becomes more entrenched in their position," the foreman replied.
The judge told the group to deliberate for 20 more minutes and take a fourth vote. The jury never returned to court, but instead asked for a reading of testimony by Spears' father, Jamie.
Jurors have spent about six hours deliberating so far. They resume their deliberations Tuesday morning.
The panel posed at least three questions throughout the day, including a clarification of the charges and what Spears had done to be charged.
There was no mention during the trial of the accident that led to the charges, as agreed by the defense and prosecution attorneys.
That gap led to the jury's other question: "Why was she stopped in the first place?"
Steele responded by reading sections of the California vehicle code to them and reminding jurors that they could only consider evidence introduced during the trial.
Spears hasn't appeared in court and didn't testify during the trial. She faces up to six months in jail and a fine if convicted.
(China Daily/Agencies October 21, 2008)
