Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Conclusion

I came back to work today after being off for a long 4 day weekend with plans on being off on Thursday and possibly again on Friday and Monday.  It's that week between Christmas and New Years where you are in the office but how much really gets accomplished?  Well, I'll tell you, I've actually done some work but have also been planning the logistics for Lilly's birthday party.  And now I hide out in my "secret" office and decide to blog and hopefully catch up.


So I will finally end my jury duty story. 


Jury Duty - Part 4


The State rested their case at the end of Day 3.  We were told to report to a new jury room the next afternoon.  Arriving the next day, I made may way to the new court room.  It was very similar to the one we were in on Day 1.  Very small and oval shaped.  The jury room was towards the front of the courtroom, right next to the audience seating. 


My fellow jurors and I were finally at a point where small talk was no longer a problem and we began to fully enjoy our interactions with each other.  We were all anxious about just when the case would end and when we would actually be set free.  After all, Monday was Halloween and I did not want to miss my little dinosaur all dressed up.

Thankfully, I heard someone say "Well this is just an inconvenience for us.  We have a guy's life in our hands."  I think many of the jurors were completely focused on the headaches that being chosen had played in their lives and didn't really think about the man who's life we would forever change - for good or bad.


We were finally called into the courtroom where it was obvious that the two cases were separated and we were the only jury and he was the only defendant there.  It was time for the defense to call their witnesses.  To my surprise, they only called one woman who was an eye witness.  She had denied seeing or id'ing the defendant.  It really had no effect on my viewing of the case.


At the time, I was still up in the air on the guilt/innocence of this young man.  The confession certainly felt damning but the witnesses and their stories were so completely laughable that I'm sure the State was banging their heads on the tables when we were not present.


Suddenly, it was time for closing arguments. The State went first followed by a weak close by the defense.  To try to convince me that the defendant was sleep deprived and forced into a confession after being in custody for like 5 hours did not help their case.  The State then got to close again.


The jury instructions came next.  The rules of how we deliberate.  Each count was read with instructions that followed each. It took forever to get through, I can only imagine how dull it would be for the jurors in cases with 20+ counts (I'm looking at you Blago). 


As I sat and tried to pay attention, I could not help but start feeling anxious about what would be happening.  This was a 1st degree murder trial after all and no matter what - these were not good people and frankly that scared the crap out of me.  Would I look at the defendant if we said "guilty"? Would I look at the family members of the person killed if we said "not guilty"?  Who would follow us to my car? To my home?  Admittedly, it sounds a bit melodramatic as I retell this but those thoughts did cross my mind.

At the end of the jury instructions, the judge called my name and the name of the other alternate juror.  We went up to the bench and were thanked for our service.  That was it. 

Throughout this process, I had no idea what the role of the alternate was besides taking the place of a juror if something came up.  I wasn't sure if I would be a part of deliberations or if I would be in a separate room ready to be called in if needed or if I would be sent home.  Well, turns out I was sent home.  Having mentioned my fears above, you would think I would have been relieved but quite honestly, I wasn't. 

I wanted to be a part of deliberations damn it.  I sat through the entire case and took pretty good notes.  I had questions.  I wanted to simply be able to TALK about this case - especially with those who sat through it with me.  But I barely got to say goodbye to my new friends.  We were allowed to quickly go inside the jury room, collect our personal items, and simply said "Good luck."

We were able to leave our phone number with the bailiff with the promise of a phone call once the decision was made.  This was on Thursday, Oct 27th.  I went back to work and could not think of much else but the case.  I was curious to see just how fast they would make their decision. I myself deliberated in the tiny room with bad coffee in my head and came up with my decision.

Personally, I could not get past the video taped confession.  Yes, people have been coerced into confessions before - this one, I believe was a true confession.  I would have found him guilty.

Once Monday and Tuesday past, I could hardly believe that I had still not heard from the court.  Have they been deliberating this whole time? Did they just forget to call me?  So finally, I called the judge's office and was told the outcome - he was found guilty and sentencing was set for after Thanksgiving.

What seemed to be an open and closed case from the start really turned out to be far more complicated than I anticipated.  I do believe the jury made the correct decision and I applaud them on reaching it after what I am sure was serious and thoughtful conversation. 

I must say, despite the bad food and the time spent sitting around and waiting, I would actually be okay serving on a jury once again.  Hopefully, the next time I can be a part of the entire case. 

Thanks again for your patience as I shared this slice of my life. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've known anyone who's actually sat through a real trial before - thanks for sharing!