Jury enters ninth day of deliberations in Ghost Ship Trial

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The jury passed a hand written note to the judge at 2:45 p.m. on Thursday asking that the testimony of prosecution witness and Ghost Ship resident Carmen Brito be re-read to them. The request specifically zeroed in on fire safety and the lack of sprinklers in the warehouse. It was the third time they've actually had testimony re-read.

There was an expectation among defense attorneys that the jury would request a re-reading of defendant Derick Almena's testimony -- it's a request they made several days ago and abruptly backed out of yesterday afternoon.
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"The biggest thing that didn't happen is that they still haven't asked for a read back of Derick Almena's testimony," said defense attorney Tyler Smith.

Ghost Ship founder Derick Almena and self-proclaimed artistic director Max Harris each face 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the lives lost in the ghost ship fire in December 2016.

Both defendants change out of their jail garb into civilian clothes each morning and are bused from the Santa Rita jail to the Oakland courthouse where they wait in cells on the 10th floor while the jury deliberates. Family members are not in halls of the courthouse but are expected to flock there the moment a verdict is announced.
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The jury is back in court on Monday morning to deliberate. There's no telling exactly where they are in the process and what they're looking for next or when they will have a verdict.

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