Whitmer Kidnapping Plot: Jury Continues Into Day 5 of Deliberation

Four days have not been enough.

The jury is still deciding on the fate of four men in the federal trial on the kidnapping plot of Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Barry Croft, Adam Fox, Brandon Caserta and Daniel Harris are awaiting their fate, charged with conspiracy to kidnap Governor Whitmer.

Three of the men are charged with related weapons charges as well.

There have been very few signs of the progress going on inside the deliberation room, the first two days at least had questions asked by jurors. The last two days? Silence until the jury asked to see an exhibit of charred pennies found at a blast site in Luther. They asked for the exhibit to be available first thing Friday morning.

While we don’t know how deliberations are going, we do know what they are deliberating on.

COUNT 1:

Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping

All four men are charged with this. This is what the entire investigation revolves around but the defense says their clients are not guilty because it was FBI informants and undercover agents that pushed the plot and entrapped their clients. There’s some argument, the plot was never feasible and couldn’t be taken seriously.

COUNT 2:

Conspiracy to Use A Weapon of Mass Destruction

Croft Harris and Fox are charged with this. This is tied to the bomb they were supposed to be making or buying to blow up a bridge on US-31 in Elk Rapids, near the governor’s lake house. The argument being there was talk of explosives but never a true agreement or money changing hands.

COUNT 3:

Possession of a Destructive Device

Croft and Harris are charged with this. There are photos, videos and recordings of the two making bombs but when does an explosive become a weapon? They added shrapnel to the explosives but never targeted people.

COUNT 4:

Possession of an Unregistered Short Barreled Rifle 

Harris is the only one with this charged. He is on record admitting he had one, photos show he used it in Wisconsin and he had it at his home in Lake Orion when arrested. The question is if he had it in this venue? If he didn’t have it within the Western District of Michigan, the charge can’t stick.

The jury heard 65 hours of witness testimony over three weeks. They’ve now been deliberating for half that time and Friday it will continue.