Last Monday was a surreal day after a surreal week. It all started a few weeks before with a jury summons.
There were 60 people being called in to select 14. I made the cut. We sat for three days listening to testimony, seeing evidence, and taking notes. I went through two notepads, without a single doodle. Never getting drowsy, always paying attention, I saw firsthand the horrible pictures of the crime scene and victim of this event:
Crime Story
After the trial was over, I learned more about the young man on trial. It seems he's been a thug his entire life, with an extensive rap sheet. There are some people, when one looks in their eyes, that are missing a soul. This man is one of those.
37 minutes after shooting this man through the eye, instantly killing him, he was buying cigarettes with his credit card. He and his cohort are evil beyond my scope of comprehension.
That Monday morning, as we sat in the jury room deliberating, we took a straw vote to find where we stood. There were 12 counts, and a 10-2 split on three major charges. I was one of the two. The others thought there wasn't enough to convict, but I stuck to my guns. So did the other fellow. After carefully explaining my reasoning, and critical analysis of the law, we were able to return a unanimous decision on every single charge. On one charge, innocent, on all others, guilty.
It was a wonderful experience to read the verdicts in open court (I was foreman). The very first charge, malice murder, had such a high threshold that a conviction is rare. When I said "innocent," the tension in the courtroom raised. Then the "guilty... guilty... guilty..." was read. For several minutes I spoke, and I was glad.
Justice works, sometimes. But justice can never restore. Once I sat down, the room was somber. A feeling o
Sentence
I'll never forget the photos. I'll never forget the murder. I'll never forget the hardened faces of the killers. But, the man who was left for dead made an impact on people that won't soon go away. The life of a good man can live beyond the grave, and is evident through his wife, children, and grandchildren. They are good people.
To all the people who bitched and moaned about being called into jury duty... fuck you. Just... fuck you.
There were 60 people being called in to select 14. I made the cut. We sat for three days listening to testimony, seeing evidence, and taking notes. I went through two notepads, without a single doodle. Never getting drowsy, always paying attention, I saw firsthand the horrible pictures of the crime scene and victim of this event:
Crime Story
After the trial was over, I learned more about the young man on trial. It seems he's been a thug his entire life, with an extensive rap sheet. There are some people, when one looks in their eyes, that are missing a soul. This man is one of those.
37 minutes after shooting this man through the eye, instantly killing him, he was buying cigarettes with his credit card. He and his cohort are evil beyond my scope of comprehension.
That Monday morning, as we sat in the jury room deliberating, we took a straw vote to find where we stood. There were 12 counts, and a 10-2 split on three major charges. I was one of the two. The others thought there wasn't enough to convict, but I stuck to my guns. So did the other fellow. After carefully explaining my reasoning, and critical analysis of the law, we were able to return a unanimous decision on every single charge. On one charge, innocent, on all others, guilty.
It was a wonderful experience to read the verdicts in open court (I was foreman). The very first charge, malice murder, had such a high threshold that a conviction is rare. When I said "innocent," the tension in the courtroom raised. Then the "guilty... guilty... guilty..." was read. For several minutes I spoke, and I was glad.
Justice works, sometimes. But justice can never restore. Once I sat down, the room was somber. A feeling o
Sentence
I'll never forget the photos. I'll never forget the murder. I'll never forget the hardened faces of the killers. But, the man who was left for dead made an impact on people that won't soon go away. The life of a good man can live beyond the grave, and is evident through his wife, children, and grandchildren. They are good people.
To all the people who bitched and moaned about being called into jury duty... fuck you. Just... fuck you.