This study examined about 500 mock juror perceptions in a murder trial in which the defendant claims to have killed her abusive husband in self-defense. The defendant’s psychological diagnosis, the husband’s alcohol abuse history, and documentation of domestic violence were varied across conditions. Results showed that medical evidence of domestic violence had a significant effect on guilt ratings and on perceptions of blame for the husband’s death. History of alcohol use of the husband influenced mock jurors’ perceptions of the credibility of the defendant. Juror gender effects were also found on verdict ratings. In contrast, no main effect was found for the defendant’s diagnosis.

The current study was based on Brown and Jacquin’s (2010) study of juror bias in rape trials, except that group deliberation was utilized in examining mock juror verdicts. Specifically, this study examined the influence of type of rape (stranger or acquaintance), complainant alcohol consumption, and defendant alcohol consumption on the opinions of mock jurors (N = 224). Type of rape and defendant alcohol consumption did not impact mock juror responsibility attributions or guilt ratings before or after group deliberation. However, complainant alcohol consumption significantly impacted mock juror opinions before and after group deliberation. Complainants who were intoxicated at the time of the alleged rape were viewed as more responsible for the rape. Defendants were viewed as more responsible when the complainant was sober at the time of the alleged rape. The results indicate a need for jurors and the courts to be aware of juror biases about female alcohol consumption.

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