Taking the criminal out of Justice
Almost everyone in the group was a suburbanite, with only a handful being from the city. They asked if any of us had any prejudices, so one guy stood up and said; "I back the police no matter what the evidence is!" Unable to constrain myself, I told the lawyers that this very attitude was why people were losing faith in the justice system and we needed to judge everyone regardless of what their profession is.
Well, I was sure that would get me removed from consideration and was shocked when my name was called. We heard two days of testimony and I learned that city people see things very differently than suburban folks. First off, many of the jurors were not paying attention to the testimony. They were passing funny notes to each other, playing footsies and considering phone conversations which should have been left out as hearsay as per the Judges instructions.
Turns out, what actually happened was the two younger kids tricked the older one into helping them remove the buggy, saying they had permission to take it from the farm. Once this guy realized what was happening, he cut off all contact with them and called the police.
He was the only one charged...
The prosecuting attorney laid everything on him, but I was having none of it. You know something is wrong with a case, when the only trustworthy witness is a prison inmate. This guy was the only one that answered truthfully, which cleared the older kid. On the first day, a number of witnesses took the stand and mentioned that the younger kids had planned and organized everything. Next day, their lawyer said all of them wanted to change their testimony and now they blamed everything on the older guy. Flip-flop testimony, hearsay evidence, I'd heard enough and was ready to get on with deliberations, and that's when the lady I'll call "Big Momma" entered the picture.
"Big Momma" takes the stage
She was a loud, portly woman with a permanent scowl and carried the biggest breasts I've ever seen in my entire life. The Judge told us to deliberate first and then vote. Well, she immediately took over and appointed herself Jury Foreperson and called an immediate vote. Of course I spoke up to remind her of the instructions we'd all been given, only to hear "I've served on five juries, so I know what I'm doing!" Everyone else was browbeaten. She wanted a quick vote so she could go home and watch TV. I didn't give a damn if she wanted to watch lesbian Nuns on Oprah, we were going to deliberate, and we did. The initial vote was 10-2 in favor of not guilty. After a long sigh, Big Momma got to work beginning to twist everyone's arm.
This was done by picking people off one by one. You know, "Divide and Conquer." Any evidence that favored the older guy was dismissed and the person shouted down by her. When I noticed her using the hearsay evidence, I spoke up, and that's when she let it all out: "They keep putting me on juries because I vote guilty no matter WHAT the evidence is!"
Well I'll be damned, she works for the prosecutors...
Thus began the first of many notes I wrote to the Judge about her behavior. She constantly threatened jurors that they would be arrested if they didn't vote guilty. She and I ended up yelling at each other after she bullied a sweet old lady to tears. Things got so bad, they had to send staff in to see what in the hell was going on.
What surprised me was that some people voted guilty based on the way the guy was dressed. He had long blonde hair and beard, tattoos and wore a blue denim jacket and jeans. Big Momma said he "looked guilty." None of that was relevant to the case, but was used against him anyway. Now I know why lawyers tell their clients to dress up for court. In the eyes of some, the clothes really do make the man.
However, it meant nothing to me. I was focused soley on the evidence and testimony.
One by one she frightened all of them into changing their votes, leaving only me. But in America, you need all twelve for a conviction, and I put Big Momma on notice that she wasn't getting mine...
This witch tried everything. In Court, she stood up in the jury box and asked the Judge to replace me because I wouldn't change my vote. I handed over yet another note, highlighting her admitted service to the prosecution. We all watched the Judge read it. She got so belligerent, that he had to tell her to shut up and sit down.
That note also included a question. When he gave us instructions, he also read out the law that was involved. I went and looked it up and was surprised to find that he'd left the last part out which gave the jury several options. Very respectfully, I asked about that in the letter, and was surprised when he agreed and admitted he'd made a mistake. We were now allowed to consider those options, and that buttressed my holdout vote even more.
In the end, Big Momma shouted herself hoarse, but I would not be moved. We all strongly suspected she was being paid for "turning" juries, but it wasn't gonna happen this time. The final vote was 11-1, and I was so proud to do the right thing and end with a Hung Jury. She wouldn't be getting her payout today. A seething Big Momma stabbed her finger in my direction when reading out the verdict. This only reinforced my Mona Lisa smile knowing that justice was finally done.
As we filed out of court, I took one last look at the accused man. He looked relieved and seemed grateful, nodding once in my direction. The long hair and denim jacket made him look like what he actually was, an innocent man...
Thank you so much!
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