There will not be a verdict this week in the murder trial of Noah Crooks. The 14-year-old from Osage was charged with first-degree murder and assault with the intent to commit sexual abuse connected with the death of his 37-year-old mother Gretchen at the family’s rural Osage home on March 24th of last year.
Jury deliberations were canceled this morning after a juror called in sick. The case has been in the jury’s hands since late Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday the jury had sent a note out to District Judge James Drew saying they were close to being a hung jury, but Drew instructed them to continue their deliberations.
Jurors spent the entire day Thursday deliberating without returning a verdict, only sending out a note during the day asking for water and soft drinks to be brought into the jury room. The jury is scheduled to resume deliberations at 9 o’clock on Monday morning at the Wright County Courthouse in Clarion, where the trial was moved due to extensive pre-trial publicity.
By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City