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Jury Duty on a Murder trial - an experience for me -

SKORPI0

SKORPI0

Lifer
Came back yesterday as a Jury member on a murder trial. 😱

Sat for two days hearing testimonies from witnesses, forensic experts, and defendant (7 hours 1st day, 11 hours 2nd day). Didn't know that they could have a murder trial like these in only 2 days, prior impressions was a least a week. Saw all the photos of the crime scene/dead victims body, video of police interrogation (snippets of it), weapon that was used (8" kitchen knife), etc. Felt that the lawyers lacked preparation on presenting the case, 3 years after the crime was committed (probably due to backlog of cases). Took lots of notes to refresh my memory later. Little trace of blood on the accused clothes, etc.

Group was within 10 minutes from being locked up in a hotel overnight to render a verdict, after arguing for 2 1/2 hours. Lots of missing info of what could have happened, were told not to speculate and render a verdict based on the evidence presented. Had 3 choices - 1st degree/2nd degree/not guilty. Came out with 2nd degree unanimously.

Came out of it a little wiser on how justice is served in our time and age. That accused is indicted and tried in court and presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

BTW, had a hot co-juror but never got her phone number. I have an idea where she lives but name is too generic. No pictures since camera/cellphones were not allowed. :\

Has anyone here been lucky enough to serve as a Juror in a murder case?
 
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BTW, had a hot co-juror but never got her phone number. I an idea where she lives but name is too generic. No pictures since camera/cellphones were not allowed.
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Oh, is that so?

Has anyone here been lucky enough to serve as a Juror in a murder case?
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I'm sure you'll give me the opportunity soon enough.
 
Do they let you call your friends family and work so you don't appear to have been abducted by the State?
 
SKORPI0 said:
Sat for two days hearing testimonies from witnesses, forensic experts, and defendant (7 hours 1st day, 11 hours 2nd day).
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SKORPI0 said:
Saw all the photos of the crime scene/dead victims body, video of police interrogation (snippets of it), weapon that was used (8" kitchen knife), etc.
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SKORPI0 said:
lawyers
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SKORPI0 said:
Group was within 10 minutes from being locked up in a hotel overnight to render a verdict, after arguing for 2 1/2 hours.
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SKORPI0 said:
Has anyone here been lucky enough to serve as a Juror in a murder case?
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Hope you are being sarcastic on the being lucky part.
 
I served on the jury for a murder trial that lasted 3 months. In total there were like 58 witness, all but one for the prosecution.

The guy didn't take the stand and his only witness was some forensic expert who testified that the DNA results on the gun were inconclusive.

Suffice it to say, the guy was found guilty.
 
DayLaPaul said:
I served on the jury for a murder trial that lasted 3 months. In total there were like 58 witness, all but one for the prosecution.

The guy didn't take the stand and his only witness was some forensic expert who testified that the DNA results on the gun were inconclusive.

Suffice it to say, the guy was found guilty.
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How did you keep your job? I'm assuming you did not show up for work for 3 months?
 
It's against the law to be fired for serving jury duty (of course they can make up whatever other excuse they want).
 
I'm sure they have to excuse you for jury duty. It's the law.

As for me I'm lucky to never have to serve jury duty. I got out the first time because I went to the military when the court date was scheduled.
 
BUTCH1 said:
So nothing like "12 angry men" huh?
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7 men, 7 women, of different age, education/occupation and race. Oldest was in 70's and youngest was in his mid 20's. I think it was a mind opening experience, threw away some misconceptions I had how trials are held and presented. And the Juror renders the decision and is final, not the Judges. BTW, there were only about 12 witness in this case.

Forgot to mention, that the jurors in this case were not present for sentencing part. Was given certifcate of jury service and escorted out of the court building, it was about 9:20 pm. Was home in about 10 minute drive and worked 4:00 am- 1 pm today.

Got paid $17.20 for each day of service.:\
 
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Last summer I had my first and only jury duty experience, sexual assault case against a 17 year old white trash guy from a 14 year old white trash girl. Amusingly enough this girl is pregnant at the time of the trial (15 at that point?) from another guy, so didn't work out too well for her. The guy was obviously a dbag but there was nearly zero evidence. Ended up finding him not guilty, pretty sure I would have felt shitty about it either way.

I wouldn't want to do a murder case.
 
I've escaped jury duty before. 🙂

All I have to do is write in that I am attending school and they're like, "FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They basically have to let me go. 😀
 
SKORPI0 said:
7 men, 7 women, of different age, education/occupation and race. Oldest was in 70's and youngest was in his mid 20's. I think it was a mind opening experience, threw away some misconceptions I had how trials are held and presented. And the Juror renders the decision and is final, not the Judges. BTW, there were only about 12 witness in this case.

Forgot to mention, that the jurors in this case were not present for sentencing part. Was given certifcate of jury service and escorted out of the court building, it was about 9:20 pm. Was home in about 10 minute drive and worked 4:00 am- 1 pm today.

Got paid $17.20 for each day of service.:\
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I wouldn't mind doing it although there is no way I can afford to make$17.20 for a day, maybe my employer would make up the difference, I'd have to check my handbook..
 
I had one that tried three counts of sexual assualt and robbery. Yay, real fun. That was 2 and half days. Interestingly enough, maybe half of the people on the jury had graduate degrees. It was interesting but was a bit demanding experience for that kind of case. But yeah, the handling of evidence with the jury was interesting. We had to take notes and we could only ask for reviews of existing testimony. There were a few things that we would have liked to have answered but since it wasn't done during the trial we couldn't ask.
 
NetWareHead said:
How did you keep your job? I'm assuming you did not show up for work for 3 months?
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I had my work scheduled around the jury duty, which meant a lot of weekends and 12-16 hour week days. I supposed I could have blown off work had I wanted to, but being on the jury wasn't physically demanding at all. Once I was released each day, I actually felt like getting some real work done.

Also, out of those 3 months, it was only about 30 days of actual duty. We had Fridays off, there were some lawyers only days and I think a holiday or two as well.

Deliberation took 3 days because we wanted to be thorough and comb through all the evidence. After all, the guy was looking at a mandatory life sentence with no possibility of parole.

He cried when the verdict was announce, which kinda surprised me because he had shown zero emotion throughout the entire trial.
 
BUTCH1 said:
I wouldn't mind doing it although there is no way I can afford to make$17.20 for a day, maybe my employer would make up the difference, I'd have to check my handbook..
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Every company I've worked for has jury duty as a paid day, but I've always been salaried. I do have to sign over the pittance I receive from the county to them though, so I don't get double paid.

I've never done a criminal trial, just civil. I was elected foreman on the last trial, I think I was the only one with a college education. The first trial was a whole week of testimony and the final judgment was something like $45 to the plaintiff - waste of everyone's time.
 
that sounds interesting, and not too long. Kinda of reminds me of 'alice's restaurant' and how he decribes the photos at the trial.

closest I've come so far is having to register for jury duty for the federal court here in KC.
 
SearchMaster said:
Every company I've worked for has jury duty as a paid day, but I've always been salaried. I do have to sign over the pittance I receive from the county to them though, so I don't get double paid.

I've never done a criminal trial, just civil. I was elected foreman on the last trial, I think I was the only one with a college education. The first trial was a whole week of testimony and the final judgment was something like $45 to the plaintiff - waste of everyone's time.
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Funny story, several years ago I replied to an ad looking for "mock jurors" in the local paper. A law firm was doing research to see how a jury would react in a business vs business suit, we got paid $100 for the day. After plaintiff and defendant's cases were heard they asked us to individually write a small report as to how we were going to vote and why, problem that %75 of the folks they hired were F-ing illiterate!, some asked me to be their secretary and write it all down for them but I said "tough shit", you were asked if you could read/write BEFORE you were hired so go ahead and scratch out some chicken scrawl dumb-ass..
 
I have never been on a jury, but I have picked a few 😉

I find people's manifest lack of knowledge of even the basics of how our legal system works to be really disturbing. Even a cursory viewing of TV legal shows should give you SOME idea of how things work (even if much of it is based on artistic license. As I look back on it, LA Law had it pretty close, except, of course, for the timelines).

Didn't any of you take a Civics Class?

I blame the schools.

MotionMan, Esq.
 
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