“Disgusted” Jurors At Kathryn Knott Trial: We All Believed She Punched The Gay Couple And Yelled Slurs

The jury forewoman and other jurors in Kathryn Knott’s gay-bashing trial say that they saw right through her lies. Philly.com reports:

Three jurors spoke to reporters outside the courthouse. They all expressed sympathy for the victims — Zachary Hesse, 29, and his boyfriend, Andrew Haught, 28. Joan Bellinger, 67, the jury forewoman, said the jurors all believed Knott punched Hesse and yelled anti-gay slurs.

But she said jurors had to compromise on certain things. Another juror, Aristeo Duenas, 33, of Brewerytown, said: “The conspiracy was what was tripping us up.” He and juror Gina Cook, 36, of Roxborough, said jurors had to examine what the law said on the various charges Knott faced.

“If the decisions went the way that I wanted them to go, she would have been guilty on everything, but when you read the actual law,” and apply it to what happened, it can be different, said Duenas, a public-school teacher.

Asked about her tweets, Duenas said: “We were pretty disgusted. It was pretty embarrassing to watch her testify. She was trying to explain away these tweets. … She would have become a better character to me if she would have been like, ‘You know what, I messed up. I said those things. It was stupid.’ “

Knott remains free until her sentencing on February 8th. [Photo credit: Emma Lee]