My first experience on a jury

[stirs]

Well, that was anti-climactic.

Case was rape/child molestation. Evidence was light. Victim's story changed 3 times in 4 days with 3 different witnesses that were put on the stand. Then she recanted back in January. Then she got on the stand and denied it all.

All the ADA had was appeals to emotion and the simple fact that a claim of rape was made. It was only somewhat convincing, but there was plenty of doubt.

We got hung up before lunch at 10-2. Eventually, I talked a woman into reason, got us to 11-1. Then the foreman, who is a deacon at his church (and led us in prayer prior to the start of deliberation....that was awkward for me), kept strong to his guilty verdict. The rest of us (all who think something might have happened, but weren't convinced with the evidence) weren't budging on our not guilty verdict.

After lunch, we were told the two sides reached an agreement. He took a plea agreement for a lesser charge (he faced 6 charges) of indecent liberties. 3 year probation, 30 years national sex offender registration.

Kinda bummed we didn't get to duke it out more in the deliberation room. Can't wait for 2 years to pass so I can do it again. Good time, IMO.

So does that mean 11 of you were wrong?

[stirs]

I have to show up next week, got the summons a couple weeks back.  3rd or 4th time, never had to serve, once waited all day until they plea bargained some agreement.  Unlike the rest, not really looking forward to it.

[Rise of The Hive]

The closest I got was having to stay all day while they whittled down to the final jury, I was a detention officer and they still almost made me serve.

[lightsout]

So does that mean 11 of you were wrong?

Possibly. It seems like we were. We ALL felt the guy was guilty, but you determine the verdict based on the evidence and not on how you feel. The prosecution just didn't have much of a case at all. They didn't bring any of the family to the stand to testify, which would have helped I think, if nothing more than character witnesses and to give their perspectives on the allegations. We all felt bad for the little girl, because from what we learned in the testimonies and in the video interview we saw, she doesn't really have family support at all. Just a sad case.

[Cat]

 I had it for almost a week once. It was neat. Guy stole 60 millionish in a ponzi scheme. Tough hearing the stories of those who lost out. 

[SmokinwithWilly]

I tried to get on jury duty. Evidently when you tell them that a fitting punishment would be to drag the offender out onto the front lawn of the courthouse and do to him exactly what was done to her, with proper scaling since he was 6x her size, you tend to get tossed. I thought it was a fitting punishment. 

[lightsout]

I tried to get on jury duty. Evidently when you tell them that a fitting punishment would be to drag the offender out onto the front lawn of the courthouse and do to him exactly what was done to her, with proper scaling since he was 6x her size, you tend to get tossed. I thought it was a fitting punishment. 

We had a dude do something similar during the selection process. I was the 7th juror picked. He was the 3rd person in the 8th seat. He said to a question of "what should happen to a child molester as punishment?", "well, it's easy. you cut it off". 

He was let go. Another guy was asked if he could be fair in hearing both sides and making a fair judgment, "i'll believe whatever the cops say. If they say he did it, then he did it". 

The faces of the attorneys were PRICELESS at those two.

[thefuzz]

So does that mean 11 of you were wrong?

 

 

No.

 

There was a shadow of doubt.

[stirs]

We had a dude do something similar during the selection process. I was the 7th juror picked. He was the 3rd person in the 8th seat. He said to a question of "what should happen to a child molester as punishment?", "well, it's easy. you cut it off". 

He was let go. Another guy was asked if he could be fair in hearing both sides and making a fair judgment, "i'll believe whatever the cops say. If they say he did it, then he did it". 

The faces of the attorneys were PRICELESS at those two.

 

I go this Tuesday, will remember those gems

 

[dos poptarts]

Back in '98, I got the letter to serve on a Federal Grand Jury.

There was only 1 person dismissed because they had a family member who would be summoned. No other excuses allowed.

 

Had to serve 1 week every other month(even months) for 1 year. (there is a 2nd group that got odd months) Most of it was just hearing witness testimony, but when the Feds were ready to indict, they came very prepared. We did hear testimony against the tobacco smuggling group (linked to Hezbollah, but we never heard that info) as the Feds kept bringing in more and more witnesses. And the funniest part was hearing evidence against the Loomis Truck robbery before the arrests. Not the brightest group of individuals. Yes, I laughed out loud during the questioning.

 

If I ever had a choice, I'd chose the Fed Grand Jury over a local Jury every time.

 

 

 

 

[stirs]

Just finished todays jurty duty with a not guilty verdict.  Drug case.  State did crappy job proving anything

 

Have to go back tomorrow in case I am picked again for a new case.  Worn out with this even though it was at times enlightening, it was horribly boring also.