Juror Decision Making and Euthanasia: Exploring the Role of Jury Nullification, Manner of Death, and Defendant-Decedent Relationship.

This article investigates how jury nullification instructions, the method of euthanasia, and the relationship between defendant and decedent influence juror decision making in euthanasia-related homicide cases. Using a mock jury experiment with varied vignettes, the study found that jurors were more likely to acquit defendants when given nullification instructions, when the euthanasia method was less violent (e.g., lethal injection), and when the defendant was closely related to the decedent (e.g., spouse). Attitudes supportive of euthanasia further increased the likelihood of acquittal, especially under nullification instructions. No significant interaction was found between the method of euthanasia and defendant relationship, and dispositional authoritarianism did not predict verdicts. These findings highlight the complex interplay of legal instructions, case circumstances, and personal attitudes in juror verdicts on euthanasia cases.