What is reasonable doubt in US law?published at 22:29 BST
Under US law, a jury must unanimously believe "beyond a reasonable doubt" that someone is guilty in order to convict them of a crime.
The designation is the strictest standard in the US legal system. It places the burden on the government to prove that the accused is guilty, and not the accused to prove their innocence.
The definition, as the judge told the jury earlier today in court, does not require proof beyond all possible doubt. But ultimately, it's not enough for prosecutors to convince a jury that the suspect is possibly guilty.
Today, the jury wrote to Judge William Sullivan that one of the twelve of them was not following the instructions they were given regarding reasonable doubt. It's unclear what this mean about their deliberations so far, but if a jury cannot make a unanimous decision, the judge can potentially call a mistrial, which ends the trial with no verdict.


