Franklin Delano Jeffries II (source: Knox County Sheriff's Office)-
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KNOXVILLE (WATE) - An appeals court upholds the conviction of a former soldier accused of threatening a Knox County judge via Youtube.
Franklin D. Jeffries, 36, posted a video which included threats against Chancellor Mike Moyers over a custody hearing involving Jeffries' daughter.
In his appeal, Jeffries and his lawyers claim that the court should have notified the jury that, "it could convict Jeffries only if he subjectively meant to threaten the judge".
But the appeals court found that this was not the case. The jury was only required to prove that a "reasonable person" would interpret the Youtube video as a real threat.
Jeffries has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for the video.
