Dorchester killer appeals four murder convictions over juror’s exit

[The Straight Story]

Dorchester killer appeals four murder convictions over juror’s exit

A Dorchester man sentenced to four consecutive life terms for his role in a 2005 massacre that left four men dead was handed an improper guilty verdict after the lone dissenting juror was ousted from the panel, his lawyer said yesterday.

Calvin Carnes Jr., 23, wants the Supreme Judicial Court to toss out the four murder convictions and give him a new trial.

“The court and the prosecutor did things they ought not to have done to hold someone, anyone accountable,” said attorney Ellen J. Zucker. “(Carnes) did not get a fair shot.”
...

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Margaret Hinkle removed Lurlyn Seigler, 50, from the jury for omitting information about her ex-husband’s criminal record on her juror questionnaire.

The ouster came after Carnes’ jury on multiple occasions declared itself “deadlocked” and “frustrated.”

Prosecutors began running the names of all the jurors through Boston police databases after a victim-witness advocate recognized Seigler while the jury was deliberating.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20100508dorchester_killer_appeals_four_murder_convictions_over_jurors_exit/srvc=news&position=also