Jurors unable to reach verdict for second time in Ann Arbor man's trial in sex solicitation case
(This story was revised to remove incorrect information about Eric Skulsky's employment history.)
A second trial for an Ann Arbor man charged with soliciting an undercover investigator for sex over the Internet ended in a hung jury Thursday.
Court records show Washtenaw Circuit Judge Melinda Morris declared a mistrial after jurors deadlocked on whether Eric Skulsky solicited the undercover police officer who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. The jury deliberated for hours Wednesday and again Thursday before telling Morris they couldn’t reach a verdict.
Skulsky, 26, is charged with multiple counts of using the Internet or a computer to commit a crime, which is punishable by between four and 10 years in prison upon conviction. A pre-trial hearing to determine how the case will proceed is set for March 28.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office charged the Ann Arbor man in June 2009 following a sting operation. Authorities accused him of sending messages in January 2008 to an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. Skulsky maintained his innocence and testified that he was researching the issue for a friend caught in a similar sting, officials said. Jurors in the initial trial spent hours deliberating after four days of testimony last June, and also couldn't reach a verdict.
John English, Skulsky’s attorney, declined to comment Friday.
Skulsky remains free on a personal bond, as he has throughout the duration of the court cases.
Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
jcj
Mon, Feb 21, 2011 : 4:08 a.m.
"Sounds great but for the fact that the jury system never worked properly in the first place: mainly because it relies on non-experts in the fields involved in any jury trail and because the average person is... just TOO average to know the principles of law and reasoning required to make a sound, just decision." Balderdash! Are there too many convictions because the jurors are " just TOO average to know the principles of law and reasoning required to make a sound, just decision."? Or not enough convictions?
Tru2Blu76
Mon, Feb 21, 2011 : 2:59 a.m.
RE: " I have always wanted to be on a trial, was called once, but didn't need me. I still thnk Senior Citizens should be called for jury duty. (and be able to accept or decline)." Sounds great but for the fact that the jury system never worked properly in the first place: mainly because it relies on non-experts in the fields involved in any jury trail and because the average person is... just TOO average to know the principles of law and reasoning required to make a sound, just decision. Then again, there aren't that many people who "like" risking being confined for INDETERMINATE periods of their lives in order to "support" some stranger's right to a jury trial. Washtenaw courts recruit jurors at about 5 times the national average - repeatedly "selecting" some hapless seniors who "just might" suffer from things like enlarged prostrates or emphysema or sleep disorders. So there goes the "idea" of putting this burden on the shoulders of the aging. Anyone who WANTS to serve and feels left out because they spent a day waiting only to be sent home - with nothing to show but hours out of their lives - I urge you PLEASE SEND the Washtenaw Jury Clerk frequent notes begging to be selected again!
Mick52
Mon, Feb 21, 2011 : 4:42 p.m.
You are correct about the jury system not working. Everything in a criminal trial is very carefully controlled up to the point the jury starts deliberating and then anything can happen. Sometimes its politics and sometimes its jurors not agreeing with the law. The jury system is the weakest part of the justice system. The best jurors for a case are often removed by either side during jury selection. Lots of problems with this system.
seldon
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 10:18 p.m.
Two hung juries, on a type of case that normally gets resolved pretty quickly? I'd love to see the chat transcript, because something ain't right here. Hey, Ann Arbor News: is it public record? Can you get it for us?
johnnya2
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 9:34 p.m.
I have no knowledge of the case at all, but the fact that TWO juries could not come to a conclusion tells me that there is reasonable doubt. The fact that they could try him over and over with the hung jury outcome is the states way to force a person top just give up. Eventually they will bankrupt the person on trial, force a public defender who is overloaded with work, and then finally win. The law should be, one mistrial no problem, but the second trial jeopardy attaches and the prosecution either wins or loses.
Mick52
Mon, Feb 21, 2011 : 4:36 p.m.
The biggest issue with this story is the lack of information, which is a common thread here. Juries can end deadlocked for other reason than reasonable doubt. In each case it may only be one juror. And obviously any reasonable doubt was not accepted by the entire jury which could acquit. So for the prosecution, the issue is do you let the guy go free and risk a juvenile being sexually assaulted? If they are sure he is a predator he should be in jail. The defense is nonsense. Usually the arrest is made when a meeting is set up, and if that is when this man was arrested, it seems to be a little more than "researching the issue."
loves_fall
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 10:20 p.m.
I agree that it's odd that two juries couldn't come to a conclusion... that's really why I'd want more information. Did he ever meet anyone or was it just chat? It sounds like he only messaged... in which case I'm sure there is doubt aplenty.
RJA
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 8:58 p.m.
I have to commend the jury in not being able to make a verdict. They must have good reason. I have always wanted to be on a trial, was called once, but didn't need me. I still thnk Senior Citizens should be called for jury duty. (and be able to accept or decline).
jcj
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 11:56 p.m.
I don't know how you can go so far as to "commend the jury". Without knowing any fact in the case. I will go this far I have to trust that at least some on the jury had reasonable doubt and therefore I respect their sticking to what they believe.
Lovaduck
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 8:09 p.m.
I'm not sure that the "I was doing research on sexual issues, etc." defense is really going to work. A University professor at a nearby institution was caught with porno on his computer (he actually was naive enough to have used the University dial-up internet service), involving teenage boys. He claimed he was doing research on Victorian and ancient Greek mores regarding homosexual experience It didn't stand up, even if he were to be doing such research. He almost lost his job, even though he wasn't soliciting sex, as in the case in question. One would have, the institution said, to explain and clear such "research" first--precisely because he was using U facilities.
Mick52
Mon, Feb 21, 2011 : 4:29 p.m.
I agree. If somehow, you job surrounds such, the standard practice is to ask for and get a cover your behind letter from your administration, or better yet, the police or prosecutor's office. Regardless of your job, it is illegal to possess certain types of images so to use that excuse is silly.
DDOT1962
Mon, Feb 21, 2011 : 12:29 p.m.
It would seem, with a second hung jury as the report points out, that the "I was doing research on sexual issues, etc." defense did indeed work. Your argument did not.
Cash
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 7:19 p.m.
This actually might be interesting if we knew something of the story. It's getting to be like a digested version of most court stories here....with the most important part missing.
loves_fall
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 6:17 p.m.
"Researching the issue for a friend caught in a similar sting." ... guilty or not, no points for originality here. If I had a friend caught in a sting for soliciting sex online from a minor, I don't think we'd be friends anymore and I definitely wouldn't put my neck on the chopping block in the name of "researching" the issue for him. I'd love to know more details on this case, but I can't seem to find many. It sure sounds tough weeding through all the minors just to find one undercover cop to solicit in the name of research. Good thing he found what he was looking for.