Mob Jury Chased After Delivering Verdict

Several members of the jury that took a sledgehammer to the Chicago “Outfit” left federal court Thursday through an underground tunnel to escape the media. They surfaced inside the Kluczynski building across the street, and spilled out onto Jackson Boulevard through glass doors.

When a reporter approached with questions, one man whose vote helped put away some of Chicago’s top mobsters put his arm around a female juror and raised his voice a bit. “Just get away,” he said, before disappearing in the city bustle.

Two female jurors walked away quickly, heading west toward the river, not saying a word to a trailing reporter.

When no comment didn’t stop the chase, one woman relented on the condition she wouldn’t be identified.

“We did the best we could. We thought we did a very fair job. And we were very reasonable with each other so we could do a good job,” she said.

The woman wouldn’t comment on trial details or the mood inside the jury room during deliberations. When asked if she feared the men she’d convicted of racketeering and murder, the woman spoke in a calm, easy voice.

“I don’t have any fear because I’m just a person that’s picked to do this,” she said. “I did my job. I think everybody thought they were (were) very fair.”

Thanks to Mark Konkol