BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Jurors in Winona Ryder's shoplifting trial ended their first day of deliberations without reaching a verdict on whether the actress went on a shoplifting spree at a Beverly Hills store.
The panel deliberated for five hours and ended the day Tuesday without sending any messages to the court and without asking any questions. They were scheduled to return Wednesday for a second day of talks.
Ryder made a brief appearance at the courthouse at the start of the day, but left after about an hour.
The 31-year-old Girl, Interrupted star is charged with grand theft, burglary and vandalism for allegedly stealing more than $5,500 worth of merchandise from the Saks Fifth Avenue store on Dec. 12, 2001.
Jurors must decide whether the actress was a thrill-seeking thief as prosecutors suggested or if she was the victim of overzealous department store security guards as the defense argued.
She faces up to three years in prison if convicted.
In another development, the California 2nd District Court of Appeal chastised Superior Court Judge Elden Fox for refusing to release the questionnaires which jurors filled out at the start of the Ryder trial.
The questionnaires focused on how much the jurors knew about the Ryder case and what opinions they had formed about the actress before they were called for jury duty.
The appeals court gave the judge time to correct the error. He was ordered to either release the information by Nov. 7 or file a petition of opposition with the appeals court by Nov. 11.
The court ruling came in response to an appeal filed by The Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily Journal.
Ryder has appeared in more than two dozen other movies, including Mr. Deeds, Little Women, Reality Bites, and Edward Scissorhands.
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