Bonds convicted of obstruction of justice

A sentencing date will be set for baseball's home run king, Barry Bonds, next month. STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Jurors find Bonds "evasive" in his grand jury testimonyNEW: Jurors came "very, very close" to convicting Bonds on one perjury count, juror saysNEW: Bonds' ex-girlfriend was not believable, jurors sayThe charges against Bonds stemmed from the BALCO steroids probeRELATED TOPICSBarry BondsSan Francisco GiantsDrugs in Sports San Francisco (CNN) -- Baseball legend Barry Bonds was convicted Wednesday on one count of obstruction of justice, but a mistrial was declared on three counts of perjury after jurors reported they could not reach agreement.

Jurors said they found Bonds to be "evasive" in his testimony to the federal grand jury investigating illegal steroids use by pro athletes, but they said that it was not proven that he lied when he said he had not knowingly used steroids.

The judge declared a mistrial on the three perjury counts after the jury said they were deadlocked on the charges in their fourth day of deliberations.

Bonds, 46, was tried in a San Francisco federal courtroom, less than two miles from the ballpark where he broke Hank Aaron's major league home run in August 2007.

Time.com photos: The evolution of Barry Bonds

Lawyers will be back in court on May 20 to debate whether Bonds should be retried on the perjury counts. A date for sentencing on the obstruction of justice conviction will also be set on that day, the judge said.

Bonds' testimony in December 2003 was part of the BALCO investigation that targeted employees of a California drug testing laboratory and Bonds' personal trainer Greg Anderson.

The testimony that led to Wednesday's conviction came when a grand jury prosecutor asked Bonds if Anderson ever gave him "anything that required a syringe to inject yourself with."

Bonds told the grand jury that only his personal doctors "ever touch me," and he then veered off the subject to say he never talked baseball with Anderson.

"That's what keeps our friendship," Bonds testified. "You know, I am sorry, but that -- you know, that -- I was a celebrity child, not just in baseball by my own instincts. I became a celebrity child with a famous father. I just don't get into other people's business because of my father's situation, you see."

A juror, who identified herself only as Jessica and who would not give her last name, told reporters they agreed unanimously that Bonds was "not directly answering the question, just kind of evading the question."

The jury came one vote short of convicting Bonds on the perjury charge that he lied when he told the grand jury that no one but a doctor ever injected him with a syringe, they said. One juror did not believe the testimony of Kathy Hoskins, Bonds' childhood friend and personal shopper, who testified that she witnessed Anderson injecting Bonds.

"She was believable for 11 of us," a male juror, who identified himself as Steve but who also would not give his last name, told reporters. "We were very, very close."

SI.com: Key questions in wake of Bonds verdict

There was one key government witness none of the jurors believed -- Bonds' ex-girlfriend Kimberly Bell, juror Jessica said.

"We were very against Kim Bell," Jessica said. "She wasn't as much sure in her answers and she seemed to be attacking Barry instead of just giving her own honest testimony,"

Bell testified that she noticed Bonds' testicles were shrunken, which prosecutors argued was a sign of steroids use.

Most jurors were divided 9 to 3 on the question of whether Bonds lied when he said he did not knowingly use steroids, the jurors said.

"The evidence that he did steroids might have been there, but did he knowingly do steroids was the question and we couldn't prove that beyond a reasonable doubt," one woman juror said. "There was just a piece of the puzzle missing."

Defense lawyers argued that Bonds' thought the creams and ointments Anderson was giving him were made of flaxseed oils.

Prosecutors were hampered in making their case because of the refusal of Anderson to testify against Bonds. With Anderson not taking the stand, prosecutors were unable to show jurors calendars that allegedly kept track of Bonds' steroid usage.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found Anderson in contempt of court on the first day of trial testimony when his lawyer informed her that he would not take the stand to answer questions about Bonds steroid use. He was released the day jury deliberations began.

Bonds' legal troubles began in 2003 when he was subpoenaed to testify before the federal grand jury investigating the illegal distribution of performance-enhancing drugs to athletes.

Bonds was told he was not a target of the investigation, which was centered on the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, known as BALCO. His personal trainer, Greg Anderson, was a target.

"All he had to do was tell the truth," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Nedrow said in his closing arguments last week.

Bonds lied to the grand jury because he knew the truth about his steroids use would "tinge his accomplishments" and hurt his baseball career, Nedrow said. "His secret was so powerful that he couldn't admit it, wouldn't admit it."

The grand jury transcript showed that when he was asked about anabolic steroids before the 2003 baseball season, he said he had not knowingly used them. He did acknowledge using substances Anderson gave him known as "the clear and the cream."

Nedrow argued that it was "implausible" that Bonds would take drugs "and really not know what they were."

A urine sample given by Bonds in the summer of 2003, just months before his grand jury testimony, tested positive for anabolic steroids, but another sample taken weeks earlier tested negative for the drugs.

The San Francisco Giants star ended his 21-year major league career in 2003 with 762 home runs. He also set the record for most home runs in a single season in 2001, when he hit 73.

Jurors had to decide if they believed the testimony of Steve and Kathy Hoskins, two former childhood friends who worked for Bonds during the years he allegedly used steroids.

Defense lawyer Allen Ruby argued that the Hoskinses were motivated by bitterness toward Bonds after he fired them and later accused Steve Hoskins of stealing. A federal criminal probe of Steve Hoskins was dropped after he became a prosecution witness, the defense argued.

Steve Hoskins, Bonds' assistant and sometimes business partner for a decade, testified that he tried to persuade Bonds to stop using anabolic steroids in 2000 and 2003.

Hoskins testified that he had several conversations with Bonds' doctor about the ballplayer's steroids use, but that doctor denied it when he was called as a prosecution witness.

While he never witnessed Bonds being injected, Hoskins said he saw Bonds and Anderson emerge from a bedroom with a syringe during spring training in 2000.

Bonds complained to him that year that steroid injections "were making his butt sore," Hoskins said.

Hoskins secretly recorded a locker room conversation with Anderson, Bonds' trainer who allegedly gave Bonds' steroids.

Jurors who spoke to reporters said they completely ignore the muffled audio recording since it did not have a clear "chain of evidence" and they were unsure if it had been edited.

Bonds' defense attorney suggested that Hoskins made the recording only after Bonds fired him in March 2003.

Steve Hoskins' sister, Kathy Hoskins, worked for Bonds his personal shopper until the spring of 2003.

She testified that she was in Bonds' bedroom packing his suitcase for a road trip in 2002 when Bonds told Anderson to "stay right here." He then lifted his shirt and Anderson injected him in his "belly button" with a syringe, Kathy Hoskins said.

"'This is Katy. That's my girl. She don't say nothing to nobody,'" Kathy Hoskins said Bonds assured his trainer.

Defense lawyers argued she lied about the injection incident to support her brother's testimony.

Bonds' lawyers also tried to discredit the testimony of Bonds' former girlfriend, who described physical and emotional changes in Bonds that prosecutors contended were evidence of steroids use.

Kimberly Bell testified in the trial that she noticed Bonds suffered testicular shrinkage, but she had told the grand jury in 2003 that she had not seen any shrinkage.

The eight women and four men on the jury heard 25 prosecution witnesses over two weeks, but the defense rested last week without calling a witness.

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No verdict yet in Barry Bonds perjury trial

Jury deliberations for the trial of Major League Baseball's home run king Barry Bonds continue for a third day on Tuesday. STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe home run king is accused of lying about his steroids useJury to return Tuesday for a third day of deliberations in Bonds' perjury trialJurors hear re-reading of childhood friend's testimonyKathy Hoskins says she saw trainer inject Bonds with a needle San Francisco (CNN) -- Jurors in Barry Bonds' perjury and obstruction of justice trial will return for a third day of deliberations Tuesday.

The panel failed to reach a verdict on Monday.

They listened to a re-reading of the testimony of Kathy Hoskins, Bonds' childhood friend and later his personal shopper, Monday morning and then returned to the jury room for deliberations.

Hoskins testified in the trial that she saw Bonds' trainer inject him with a syringe at his home in 2002.

Defense lawyers argued that the woman lied about the incident to help her brother Steve Hoskins, also a key witness, who had a bitter dispute with Bonds that could have resulted in criminal charges.

Major League Baseball's home run king is accused of lying to a federal grand jury in 2003 about knowingly taking anabolic steroids and getting injections from anyone but his doctors.

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Deliberations resume next week in Barry Bonds perjury trial

Barry Bonds is charged with lying under oath when he testified about his steroids use in 2003. STORY HIGHLIGHTSBonds' trainer is ordered freed two weeks after he refused to testifyThe jury was given the Bonds perjury case to decide Thursday afternoonThe baseball legend faces three perjury counts and an obstruction of justice chargeThe charges stem from a federal probe of athletes' steroid useRELATED TOPICSBarry BondsDrugs in SportsPerjury San Francisco (CNN) -- Jurors deciding Barry Bonds' fate asked to listen again to the testimony of a key prosecution witness Friday before they recessed deliberations for the weekend in the baseball legend's perjury and obstruction of justice trial.

The judge will read the transcript of Kathy Hoskins' testimony Monday morning when the jury returns for their second day of deliberations.

Bonds, 46, allegedly lied to a federal grand jury about knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs and about being injected by anyone but his doctors.

The three perjury counts and one count of obstruction of justice could each carry a 10-year prison sentence upon conviction. A fourth perjury charge was dropped by prosecutors Wednesday.

Jurors earlier Friday were allowed to hear again two segments of a conversation secretly recorded in the San Francisco Giants' locker room by Bond's former assistant, also a key government witness.

The trial began last month in a San Francisco federal courthouse less than two miles from the ballpark where Bonds broke Hank Aaron's major league home run record in August 2007.

Bonds' former trainer was freed Friday from the prison where he's been held since he refused to testify the trial two weeks ago.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found Anderson in contempt of court on the first day of trial testimony when his lawyer informed her that he would not take the stand to answer questions about Bonds' steroid use.

It was the third time Anderson chose jail time over testimony. He was sent to prison for several weeks twice before when he refused to appear before a federal grand jury investigating Bonds.

The absence of the trainer's testimony hampered the government's case against Bonds, who is charged with lying under oath when he testified about his steroids use in 2003 before the grand jury that was investigating an alleged sports doping scandal involving Anderson of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative.

A prosecutor argued Thursday that Bonds lied because he knew the truth about his steroids use would "tinge his accomplishments" and hurt his career.

"His secret was so powerful that he couldn't admit it, wouldn't admit it," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Nedrow said in his closing arguments.

Bonds' defense lawyer, during his closing arguments Thursday, asked jurors to acquit him because of a technical oversight by prosecutors -- an argument the government quickly rebutted.

The judge's instructions to the jury say Bonds can found be found guilty only if his lies could have affected the grand jury's decisions and that Bonds knew it, defense lawyer Allen Ruby said.

But none of the 25 prosecution witnesses presented evidence about what decisions the grand jury made or what they might have made, Ruby said. "Who told us about the grand jury at all?"

The Internal Revenue Service agent who started the federal investigation into the distribution of performance-enhancing drugs testified that Bonds' false testimony affected his work, but Agent Jeff Novitzky was not part of the grand jury, Ruby said.

"I know that this is a little technical," Ruby said. "I don't apologize for that. Every word of the law matters."

The judge also instructed jurors to rely only what they heard from witnesses in the trial and not use their prior knowledge of the grand jury process, he said.

"The government is trusting you to do what you are forbidden to do, and fill in the gaps," Ruby said.

Prosecutor Matthew Parrella, in his rebuttal, said Novitzky's investigation and the grand jury probe were "one and the same."

The jury can also read the indictments the grand jury issued in 2004 and the grand jury transcript in which "the issues are fleshed out," Parrella said.

Ruby told jurors that Bonds acknowledged to the grand jury that he used the substances known as "the clear and the cream," but at the time of his testimony, even investigators didn't know what was in them.

Bonds told the grand jury he thought Anderson was giving him flaxseed oil, Ruby said.

Nedrow, in his closing, said it was "implausible" that Bonds would take drugs "and really not know what they were."

A urine sample given by Bonds in the summer of 2003, just months before his grand jury testimony, tested positive for anabolic steroids, he said. The defense argued there was another sample taken weeks earlier that tested negative for the drugs.

Defense lawyer Cristina Arguedas, in her part of closing arguments, accused prosecutors of ignoring crimes by witnesses in exchange for their testimony against Bonds.

"They will forgive it if that person will say something bad about Barry Bonds," Arguedas said.

Bonds' former girlfriend, Kimberly Bell, testified for the prosecution that she witnessed physical and emotional changes in Bonds that the government argued were indications of steroids use.

Bell testified during the trial that she had committed perjury when she told the same grand jury in 2003 that she had not noticed Bonds' shrunken testicles.

Bell also admitted she had committed mortgage fraud by lying on a home loan application, Arguedas said.

During court testimony last month, Bonds' childhood friend Steve Hoskins, who worked for a decade as his assistant, said he tried to persuade Bonds to stop using anabolic steroids in 2000 and 2003.

Bonds' defense lawyer argued that Hoskins' cooperation with the government was motivated by bitterness over Bonds firing him and by a desire for protection from prosecution for allegedly stealing money from Bonds.

Prosecutors played an audio recording that Hoskins secretly made in the San Francisco Giants locker room of a conversation with Anderson about the hazards of steroid usage.

Bonds' defense attorney suggested that Hoskins made the recording only after Bonds dismissed him in March 2003.

Hoskins acknowledged that he leaked the details of the recording to investigative reporter Lance Williams, who included it in his book about the scandal, "Game of Shadows."

While he never witnessed Bonds being injected with anabolic steroids, Hoskins said he saw Bonds and Anderson emerge from a bedroom with a syringe during spring training in 2000.

Bonds complained to him that year that steroid injections "were making his butt sore," Hoskins said.

In his 21-year major league career, Bonds also set the record for most home runs in a single season in 2001, when he hit 73. He did not officially retire after he was indicted, but he never played another game.

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