Refco Trial Juror Threatens To Cut Off Fellow Juror's Finger

Jury room debates in the fraud trial of a lawyer for commodities broker Refco have gotten so heated that a court officer has had to order jurors to lower their voices. And yesterday, after six days of deliberations, juror No. 4, identified only as "Kevin," sent a letter to the judge explaining that the "frequent insults" he's endured from Juror No. 9, Abigail O'Connell, had risen to a "whole new level. Specifically, in a loud and belligerent manner Juror O'Connell threatened to cut off my finger. She made that statement twice. In the same tirade she stated, 'I will have my husband take care of you.'" Kevin told the foreman that the "threats and intimidation" would not change his vote, but he's worried that "hearing these threats may affect other jurors." The foreman, however, says, "the altercation [Wednesday] could be traced to both parties involved." Judge Robert Patterson denied the defense a mistrial and ordered deliberations to continue; Refco's former attorney Joseph Collins is accused of helping hide the company's bad debts.