The majority of the jurors in the Barry Bonds steroids-perjury trial thought that the federal government totally failed to prove that Bonds knowingly used anabolic steroids or human growth hormone (hGH). The jury was deadlocked on all of the perjury charges against Bonds and only convicted him on a single obstruction of justice charge.
Eight of the twelve jurors voted to acquit Barry Bonds on Count 1 in which prosecutors allege that Bonds lied about knowingly receiving anabolic steroids from his personal trainer Greg Anderson. Nine of twelve jurors wanted to acquit the baseball star on Count 3 after the feds failed to prove that Barry Bonds lied about receiving hGH from Anderson.
Three of the jurors told the media after the trial that the government simply did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Barry Bonds lied under oath and his unknowing use of performance-enhancing drugs. The alleged lies about steroids and hGH represented the “heart of the case” according to defense attorney Allen Ruby:
Amber:
Amber, a 19-year-old Oakland A’s fan who served on the jury, said she had no doubt that the slugger used steroids, but she said that the government didn’t have the evidence or testimony to prove that the slugger knew it.
“Obviously he did steroids in my opinion,” Amber said. “But with what they gave us we couldn’t” convict him of lying about not knowing it.
Nyiesha:
“The positive test showed us he used steroids,” said Nyiesha, a 28-year-old juror, who, like most of the jurors, declined to give her last name, referring to the results of the 2003 urine screening submitted as evidence by prosecutors Matt Parrella and Jeff Nedrow. “But they (the prosecutors) never proved he knowingly used steroids.”
Fred:
“I think he knew what he was taking,” said the jury foreman, Fred Jacob. “But the government didn’t prove that beyond a reasonable doubt. The governing force was that Bonds was innocent until proven guilty.”
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