Jury Conduct Probe Asked in Murder Trial of 4 Teens

Arguing that a letter from a juror suggests jury misconduct, defense attorneys for four Conejo Valley youths began laying the groundwork Monday to appeal murder convictions that carry life sentences for the four teenagers.

Citing the letter sent one day after the verdict was reached, attorney Jill Lansing asked a judge to release the names and addresses of jury members to allow a probe into possible improprieties.

Judge Lawrence J. Mira rejected her request, saying he did not believe that the May 29 letter showed any misconduct as the jury reached a verdict in the stabbing death of Jimmy Farris, the 16-year-old son of a Los Angeles police officer.

The Malibu court judge did grant a request to delay the sentencing, originally scheduled for Monday, until Aug. 19 to give defense attorneys more time to prepare.

The letter in question was not admitted into public record, but snatches read in court revealed that the author, a woman known only as Juror No. 10, had started deliberations with reservations about convicting the four suburban boys.

The juror said she came to share the majority viewpoint after several days of deliberations.

The four teenagers--Jason and Micah Holland of Thousand Oaks, Brandon Hein of Oak Park and Tony Miliotti of Westlake Village--were convicted on murder charges.

The youths, ages 16 to 19, face possible life sentences without parole because they were convicted with the special circumstance of killing in the course of an attempted robbery--stealing marijuana from another teenager.

Lansing said her reading of the letter, which was addressed to Mira and circulated to all the lawyers, indicated that the woman may not have understood jury instructions and felt pressured to vote with the majority.

Lansing said even the suggestion of jury misconduct should lead to a probe because of the seriousness of the sentence her client, Hein, 19, and his three friends face.

“These are not people who will pay a $50 ticket,” she said. “They will never be free again.”