Jury resumes deliberations in Levy case

A short verdict form, we can safely say, does not ensure short jury deliberations.

The jurors in the trial of the man charged with killing Chandra Levy are now into their fourth day of deliberations on the two counts of murder facing the defendant, Ingmar Guandique. The jury resumed deliberating just after 10 a.m. Monday and it's anybody's guess when, or even if, they will return a verdict.

If they do, their decision will be rendered on a verdict form (PDF) that runs a little more than a page.

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Guandique originally faced several other charges besides the ones listed on the verdict form. A third count of first-degree felony murder was dropped during the trial. That charge was based on the allegation that Guandique had tried to sexually assault Chandra Levy, but a government witness who was to testify that Guandique spoke of having sexually assaulted Levy never took the stand.

Then, as testimony in the trial wrapped up, the government dropped kidnapping and the attemped robbery charges. The statute of limitations had run out on both offenses.

Left are two counts of first-degree felony murder, one linked to the allegation of kidnapping and one linked to the allegation of attempted robbery.