KNOXVILLE – The Sarah Palin e-mail hacking case in which a former University of Tennessee student is charged with four felonies will be going to a federal jury.
The jury of eight men and six women is expected to start deliberating Tuesday in Knoxville after getting instructions on the charges against 22-year-old David Kernell.
Defense attorney Wade Davies told the panel Monday after Kernell chose to not testify that his client pulled a prank and guessed his way into Palin’s e-mail. He said Kernell as a 20-year-old made “some stupid decisions” but had no criminal intent.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Weddle told jurors that Kernell set out with a plan to derail Palin’s campaign when she was the Republican vice presidential candidate.
Convictions on all charges carry a maximum possible 50-year prison sentence.