Judge Michael Holbrook offers analysis of William Husel trial and verdict

The presiding judge and the jury had some criticism for the way Franklin County prosecutors presented their case in the murder trial of William Husel, which ended Wednesday with the former Mount Carmel Health doctor being acquitted on all 14 counts.

“If it were me (trying the case), I would have called in five experts, rested and let them move on,” presiding Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook said after the verdict.

The prosecution called more than 50 witnesses during the trial while Husel’s defense team called only one expert witness and cross-examined prosecution witnesses, many of whom would also have been called by the defense.

Lawyers in civil lawsuits against Husel say he must still answer for alleged medical malpractice

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook sits at the bench on Monday while awaiting jury deliberations in the murder trial of William Husel. The former Mount Carmel Health doctor was found not guilty of all counts in the deaths of 14 patients under his care from 2015 through 2018.

Holbrook said jurors told him that the prosecution’s case was often confusing and long-winded, and lacked focus on important topics.

Procedures for properly dispensing fentanyl and other drugs weren’t well-explained, Holbrook said he was told.

An inside look at the juror room in the Husel case

Holbrook also said that there could have been a better reason for why there is no maximum dosage for fentanyl in end-of-life care.

“I think it was lack of presentation by the state, Holbrook said of the not guilty verdict on all counts in the deaths of 14 patients in his care between 2015 and 2018.

Franklin County prosecutors issued a short statement after the verdict:

“The Jury after review of all the evidence was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that William Husel was guilty of any charges submitted to them. We accept the jury verdict.”

A spokeswoman for Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack said he would not make himself available for an interview and would not comment further beyond the statement.

After Husel was found not guilty, Holbrook provided The Dispatch and other reporters an inside look at the jury deliberation room, littered with copious notes, white board analysis and poster-board synopses of each patient prepared by jurors.

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“I’m showing you this because I want you to see how hard they worked,” he said.

The jury’s collective decision is typically the right one, Holbrook said, if jurors take the time and care to analyze the evidence, are attentive to detail and get along well.

Asked if the jury made the correct decision in the Husel verdict, Holbrook replied:

“I always ask (the jury) that afterward.” And then he tells them: “If you are convinced, I agree with you.”

The post-verdict discussion is common for a judge and jury, especially after tense trials.

He called the “stress factor” in this case “extremely high.”

When the jury deadlocked on Monday, it apparently was caused by one juror. Holbrook said he didn’t know, or even ask, what the verdict was at that point.

Holbrook said the Husel case ranks in the top three of the hundreds he has presided over in his 17 years on the bench.

dnarciso@dispatch.com

@DeanNarciso

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Judge says Husel jury found prosecution case confusing, long-winded