Wilmington, Del. — The group of 12 jurors who convicted Hunter Biden on three federal gun charges had to convince a jury member of an aspect of Hunter’s first count, a juror told reporters hours after the verdict.
The lone holdout Tuesday morning felt hesitation about the fourth part of Hunter’s first count over whether he knowingly lied about his drug addiction when he purchased a firearm in October 2018, the juror said.
National Review and other news outlets spoke to the juror about how the deliberations unfolded starting Monday afternoon and going into Tuesday morning after closing arguments wrapped up. The juror spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity.
While the single holdout did change his mind, the individual was not strong-armed into doing so, and the other jurors made sure the person knew his opinion was valued. Each person gave an opinion, one at a time, during the deliberations on Tuesday morning, making the process cordial and respectful.
None of the jurors had any hesitation about convicting Hunter on the second false statement charge and a third charge of possessing a firearm while he was addicted to crack cocaine.
Hunter Biden’s sentencing will take place in the next 120 days, Judge Maryellen Noreika said once the verdict was announced. Noreika thanked the jurors afterward and told them they did a great job. Likewise, the juror praised Noreika’s handling of the case.
At first, the jurors sought to decompress Monday afternoon and held a vote on whether Hunter Biden was guilty. The first vote was 6–6, as the not-guilty voters needed time to review all of the evidence again before coming to a conclusion. Convicting Hunter Biden on Monday after roughly an hour of deliberations would not have been fair to him, the juror emphasized.
When the jurors first voted Tuesday morning, it was 11–1 because of the lone holdout. Testimony from Hunter’s ex-girlfriend and Beau Biden’s widow, Hallie Biden, influenced the holdout, who eventually came around to finding Hunter guilty of all the charges.
Federal prosecutors gave Hallie immunity in exchange for her testimony, meaning she was incentivized to tell the truth, the juror told reporters. The same was true for Hunter Biden’s ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan, a witness with vivid memories of his lavish, drug-fueled escapades in New York and Los Angeles.
Hallie Biden testified about finding drug remnants in Hunter’s car when she discovered the firearm and panicked because she worried for Hunter’s safety. She quickly disposed of the firearm in a trash can next to a nearby supermarket 11 days after Hunter Biden bought it.
The most important piece of evidence for the juror was the actual gun form where Hunter Biden answered “no” to a question asking whether he was an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance.
The juror noticed Hunter Biden hesitated when filling in the “no” box on the paperwork, reflecting the consequences of his decision. Other evidence introduced by the prosecution, such as texts, photos, and videos indicating Hunter Biden’s crack cocaine usage, also influenced the jury’s decision.
The juror did not question the authenticity of any of the prosecution’s evidence and recalled FBI special agent Erica Jensen’s testimony explaining how the government verified Hunter Biden’s laptop data.
“Hunter [Biden] bought a gun knowing that he was a drug addict,” the juror asserted.
“When we were deliberating, the political factor did not come into play,” the juror said of the Biden family.
The juror recognized First Lady Jill Biden but focused on observing the legal proceedings instead of looking at the Biden family members inside the courtroom.
Although some of the jurors knew people who struggled with addiction, their personal experiences did not factor into the final verdict.
President Joe Biden was mentioned during testimony from Naomi Biden, Hunter’s daughter and a witness for the defense. The juror believed it was a mistake for the defense to bring Naomi to the stand because she appeared to be put on the spot.
Federal prosecutor Leo Wise presented text messages during Naomi’s cross-examination contradicting her recollection of Hunter’s apparent recovery in October 2018 during the time period he possessed the firearm. Naomi was very soft-spoken and admitted to being nervous during her testimony.
Abbe Lowell, Hunter’s defense attorney, was not well prepared and failed to deliver a compelling case, the juror asserted. Lowell’s claim that Hunter Biden’s life was in the jury’s hands fell flat with the jurors because, ultimately, Hunter is the one responsible for his own decisions.
Overall, the jury spent roughly three hours on Tuesday morning deliberating before deciding to convict Hunter Biden on all three charges.