Deliberations Delayed In Robert Bruce Trial

A Pueblo jury is back at square one, after the departure of a juror in the Robert Bruce attempted murder trial.

For a day and a half, they had been deliberating the fate of a man accused of trying to kill a Pueblo police officer.

A juror was dismissed Wednesday afternoon. The jury had to start deliberating from scratch when an alternate juror was called in.

She reportedly told the judge in the case that she could not reach a fair and unbiased decision.

The jury is trying to determine if Robert Bruce, 49, is guilty of trying to blow up the home of Officer Nathan Pruce.

Prosecutors said Pruce was supposed to testify against Bruce in a peeping Tom case that happened back in 2007.

The day he was due to testify, Pruce says he found a propane tank at his garage door, rigged in such a way that it was releasing fumes into his home.

The defense admitted Bruce planted the tank, but said it was just to threaten Officer Pruce, not kill him. The defense also said prosecutors couldn?t prove without a reasonable doubt the tank actually contained explosive gas.

Prosecutors say a conviction in the peeping Tom case could lead authorities to take Bruce’s DNA. That DNA could link Bruce to rapes in six states, including one in Pueblo.

We will let you know when a verdict is reached. Stay with KRDO as we follow the case.