Jurors in Isabel Celis case speak out

TUCSON (KVOA) - Since the judge declared a mistrial in the Christopher Clements murder-kidnapping trial, two weeks ago many have wondered how jurors could not unanimously agree to convict the alleged killer.

11 voted to convict one voted to acquit.

The former jurors asked not to be identified one told News 4 Tucson,

"It's frustrating when so much time effort and emotional energy was put into this and some essentially is unwilling to look at the facts for face value."

News 4 Tucson interviewed four former jurors. Not only did they not want to be identified, they didn't identify the lone juror who voted not guilty.

Clements was on trial for the killing and kidnapping of Isabel Celis in 2012.

Another juror said, "To me there was no doubt Christopher Clements was guilty."

Isabel's remains were found five years later in a remote area of Avra Valley and TRICO roads.

The trial lasted three weeks. When deliberations began the jurors took a secret vote.

They said they knew then there was one person who wasn't convinced of Clément's guilt. They also said they had a difficult time getting that juror to open up when they finally did.

"The one juror who caused this to be a mistrial they vocalized that they were not operating on the grounds of reasonable doubt they were operating on the grounds of all doubt.'"

Other jurors tried to explain the jury instructions per the judge. "That one juror said there wasn't enough evidence I need something like a video, that shows the crime in progress, DNA, all that kind of stuff."

Jurors say the judge and the state did a great job explaining it was all circumstantial evidence.

When they tried to explain that to the holdout juror they said the juror responded, "I do not think they said it's a life here, was what they had said." The jurors who voted guilty responded, " We said yes we know we also have evidence that this person took a life."

After day and a half the jurors agreed they couldn't deliberate any more. So they told the judge they were deadlocked at 11 to convict and one to acquit.

Now there will be a second trial on the Celis case.

One of the jurors commented, "They have to do it again and that's where I think I hope they can sleep at night because they didn't need to do it again."

The jurors told News 4 Tucson, they feel like they let the Celis family down and they want them to know...They tried their best.