What will jurors consider when deciding Trump’s fate? Legal experts weigh in

After weeks of at times bombshell testimony, the fate of Donald Trump will soon be in the hands of the 12 New Yorkers chosen to sit on the jury in his first criminal trial.

Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over a $130,000 hush money payment, which was designed to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election about an alleged affair she had with Mr Trump in 2006.

Prosecutors allege that Mr Trump’s former “fixer” Michael Cohen made the initial payment on behalf of his boss and Mr Trump then reimbursed him in a series of payments that were falsely labeled as “legal expenses” for a retainer that did not exist.

Mr Trump denies the charges and the sexual encounter with Ms Daniels.

Throughout the trial, the panel of jurors heard from a string of witnesses connected to the allegations, including both Ms Daniels and Cohen. Meanwhile, Mr Trump chose not to testify – despite toying with the idea for weeks.

The jury will get the case in the coming days after hearing closing arguments from both sides on Tuesday.

So what will the 12 jurors be looking at as they weigh the verdict and decide whether to make history and convict a former US president on criminal charges?

The Independent speaks to legal experts to find out:

The key questions jurors will need to answer are: did the former president falsify business records and, if yes, did he do so in furtherance of another crime?

Attorney Duncan Levin, who worked at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office years before the case against Mr Trump, tells The Independent that jurors will be looking closely at whether the district attorney “has met its burden of proof and put in all of the elements of the crimes.”

“The elements are that