Jury at Abu Ghraib civil trial might not be able to reach verdict: judge says

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The judge presiding over the trial of a military contractor accused of contributing to detainees’ mistreatment at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq two decades ago is speculating that the jury may not be able to reach a verdict. Federal judge Leonie Brinkema spoke to lawyers on the case Wednesday outside the jury’s presence after jurors continued to ask questions on their seventh day of deliberations. The eight-person civil jury in Alexandria has now been deliberating for more than a week, longer than the trial itself. Three former Abu Ghraib detainees sued Reston, Virginia-based contractor CACI, which supplied civilian interrogators to the prison. The detainees allege those civilians contributed to their abuse.