The Desire Terrorist

Judge Berrigan

Two days later, the verdicts were announced. Davis and Hardy were found guilty on all three counts. Causey was found guilty on counts one and two, with no verdict on count three. Berrigan declared a mistrial on count three for Causey. Before the jury's verdict, Causey had been offered a last-minute plea bargain by the government in exchange for his testimony. The deal, which was reportedly recommended to him by Julien, would have given him a 6-9 year sentence instead of life, but Causey rejected it out of loyalty to his friend Davis.

On hearing the verdict, Davis slumped a bit, his steely composure finally caving in to the reality of his situation. Hardy, on the other hand, continued to sport a look of defiance to go with the smile he wore during much of the trial. Commenting on the verdict in the Sunday, April 28 edition of the Times-Picayune, James Gill said, "Hardy represents what is becoming a too-familiar type, the young man without any grasp of the moral precepts that underlie civilized society."

Shortly after the verdict, Jordan commented to the media, "Kim Groves had a right to complain about the police, even though she was poor; even though she was abused by her boyfriend; even though she abused cocaine. The jury said We are not only protecting the rights of Kim Groves, but the rights of everyone.'"