ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post Dispatch
By William C. Lhotka Post-Dispatch
updated: 05/28/2003 10:18 PM
When the Rev. Bryan Kuchar was on trial last week on charges of molesting a child, the jury was sent out to decide all at once whether he was guilty and what his punishment should be if he was.
As it turned out, the jury could not reach a decision on guilt, so the Roman Catholic priest will be tried again. When he is, the decision-making process will be significantly different if Gov. Bob Holden signs – as expected – an omnibus crime bill sent to him by the Legislature.
It would split the deliberations so a jury would decide first on guilt. If jurors vote to convict, they then would hear evidence and lawyers’ arguments about the proper penalty before retiring again to decide punishment.
