I did jury duty a few years ago. I was puzzled why they went for 2nd degree murder, when it looked by the evidence it was a slam dunk. The understanding was the bar is easier to prove than 1st degree. What puzzled me more why it went to a jury trial, when it could have been done in less time just with a judge. We found him guilty. What surprised me is the judge asked the jury to determine the length of time in Jail. You could put in a range, or you could say you want the judge to decide. I voted let the judge decide.
The jury overall selected 12 years which was near maximum sentence range we were allowed.