A north-central Iowa woman who’s facing the death penalty wants an investigation into juror misconduct. Angela Johnson was convicted earlier this year of helping former boyfriend Dustin Honken in the 1993 drug-related slayings of five people near Mason City. A federal jury recommended the death penalty in two of the five murders, but Johnson’s defense attorneys want U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett to hold a hearing on allegations of juror misconduct. Johnson’s attorneys say that one of the jurors argued during deliberations in the penalty phase of the case that the jury’s decision was not final and Johnson would have three automatic appeals. Johnson’s attorneys say the juror in question learned about the appeals process during a visit to a federal prison, and those statements biased the jury. Sentencing in the Johnson case is pending a ruling on the motion for a new trial.
