The Michael Jackson trial judge was overruled by the jury Tuesday when they extended their 10-minute snack break because of an unexpected bonanza: free pizza.
Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville has been running an unusually rigid schedule with no lunch hour, just three quick snack breaks during six hours of testimony — a hunger-inducing regimen he calls “the Melville diet.”
When jurors took an extra 15 minutes getting back into their seats, he offered an explanation.
“The Olive Garden heard a CNN report that the jurors were starving to death,” he announced. “So they sent over a bunch of pizzas.”
He said the jury “sent out an attack squadron” with word that they wanted time to eat their pizzas. “So now they’re full, and they can thank CNN,” he said.