After five months of a federal trial and 15 days of deliberations, jurors in Kwame Kilpatrick's federal corruption case finally returned Monday with their verdicts. Kilpatrick was found guilty of 24 counts, including racketeering, mail fraud, extortion, wire fraud, tax evasion charges and bribery.
Twitter users responded immediately, and prolifically -- #Kwame was quickly a trending topic on the social media site. While some mocked the former mayor of Detroit and others celebrated the justice system, a sizeable expressed disappointment in the verdict. Kilpatrick appears to still have a dedicated base of supporters, many who are calling to "Free Kwame" -- and even planning supportive parties and t-shirts.
The former mayor was a prolific user of social networking himself, although he's had nothing to share in the media or on Twitter since the conviction was announced Monday morning.
Through the trial, it's been believed that Kilpatrick himself has been responding to fans and friends on social media through the @kwameandfamily handle. Here's the last Tweet he reportedly sent before Monday's verdict was read in Detroit:
The case may have dragged on all winter, but Detroiters and court-watchers were quick to express their opinions via Twitter. Click through the slideshow to find out what Detroiters have to say about their former mayor's latest conviction.