Jelani Maraj's Rape Case Hit With Jury Misconduct Inquiry

Splash News

Just one year after Nicki Minaj‘s brother Jelani Maraj was convicted of raping his 11-year old stepdaughter, his defense team has aired suspicion of jury misconduct, which forced the judge to order an inquiry.

According to Newsday, the Judge wrote in a statement,

“There is a need for the Court to conduct a hearing to determine the nature of the material placed before the jury and whether that material created a substantial risk of prejudice to the defendant.”

The defense alleges that one juror told other jurors that if Nicki Minaj did not show up to testify then Jelani was guilty. Some jurors also talked about the case against the judge’s instructions and noted how they couldn’t “wait for him to be found guilty.” Other jurors reportedly read blogs and watched The Wendy Williams show where the talk show host slammed Jelani for being guilty.

Despite the inquiry, the judge still felt that evidence was “more than legally sufficient” to prove Jelani as guilty. The new hearing is scheduled for November 15.