After three and a half days of deliberation, a jury of eight women and four men on Thursday found former Republican state Senator Gilbert Baker innocent on one count of conspiracy to commit bribery involving a former circuit court judge.
Baker, 64, of Conway, also was charged with one count of bribery and seven counts of honest services wire fraud, but jurors deadlocked on those counts. It is unknown whether the government will retry Baker on those counts.
The former political fundraiser and past chairman of the state Republican Party was accused of acting as a middleman in an effort to bribe former Faulkner County Circuit Judge Mike Maggio to reduce a $5.2 million jury award against Greenbrier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in 2013 in a lawsuit filed by the family of Martha Bull. Bull died two weeks after being admitted for a one-month rehabilitation stint at the center, which is owned by Michael Morton of Fort Smith.
Maggio pleaded guilty to bribery in 2015 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Morton has not been charged with any crimes and has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.