Some days back, I blogged about the bishop of Pittsburgh’s new part-time job as a juror.

Now, an update:

Bishop David Zubik completed his jury service yesterday when the Allegheny County criminal court jury he was serving on rendered its verdict in a break-in and sexual assault case.

The head of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese opted not to be foreman, although his fellow panelists suggested it, because he said he’d already drawn too much media attention for having been chosen for the jury in the first place.

Instead, after a few hours of deliberation, juror number two read the verdicts: multiple convictions, including burglary, robbery, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, simple assault and conspiracy for Ryan M. Whittington, 20, of Duquesne; and burglary, robbery, indecent deviate sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, simple assault and conspiracy for Steven Ashby, 19, of Duquesne. The jury acquitted co-defendant Taneesha N. Middleton, 22, of Homestead, on all counts in the 2006 Duquesne break-in.

Bishop Zubik said “it was difficult for us to render a judgement,” and “there’s always going to be compassion, but there’s also the matter of justice.”

He said he was grateful no one in court or the jury room deferred to him or treated him any differently, despite his role in the church.