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Post by DrKrippen on Aug 1, 2021 20:47:12 GMT
Anybody here with some interesting tales from performing your civic duty?
I just finished a three week stint at the ole Superior Court. At first you are put in the jury assembly room, then moved down to the jury panel hall to stew for a bit, and finally picked to serve on the jury. Juror #10 me was.
The case was a code 187, homicide, determined by the coroner's autopsy to be a murder.
The defendant was one of the most ignorant morons ever to attempt the "perfect murder". Yes, this was premeditated, planned and executed according to his calculations. It was a stupid plan, it was poorly executed and easy to see through. His defense attorney had absolutely no chance whatsoever.
It was a guy who had lived with his girlfriend over at her parents house for two years, got kicked out, got mad she was starting to date other guys, in fact she was planning a sex tryst to Las Vegas with the new guy but never got there.
The parents house had five, count 'em, five cameras on the exterior of the house and two on the interior of the house, there was a metal safety door as you entered that had two locks and the front wooden door had another. The front wooden door key also opened the locks on the bedroom doors which were also locked at night.
This goofball made an appearance on all of the cameras and cameras on neighbors houses on the same street. He thought wearing a hoodie and some sort of covering on the bottom half of his face to cover his long beard, and not wearing shoes, only socks, one of which he took off inside the house and he wore that one on the left hand and a plastic glove on the right hand would disguise him enough not to recognize him at the front door camera and the cameras inside the house.
Wrong, very, very wrong. The way he walked and the way he hunched over was recognizable by anyone within five seconds.
Then, there was a ton of cell phone evidence. There was him harassing his ex girlfriend and speaking in a way only her new boyfriend talked. New boy was a fan of the movie "Storm Troopers" and picked up on using the word "rightmeow" all the time in texts. Used in sentences like "Got to do this rightmeow" or some shit like it. Old boyfriend was mimicking it in texts to old girlfriend.
Also, he was stalking the old girlfriend. Cell phone pinging towers in a pattern that showed he was following her regularly. One night as she partied at a co-worker's house he texted her 74 times. Both her phone and his were pinging the same tower that night. He was right outside stewing as she drank and had a great time.
Oh, and there was a sex tape involved. It was hard to make the breakup stick and these two still saw each other, had meals and apparently still had sex. Must have been hard on him when he followed her over to her new boyfriends house one night and drove by the car where the girlfriend was giving the new boyfriend head in the front seat of the car. He drove by several times probably knowing what was going on. His car was seen by the both of them.
But ok, back to the sex tape. Apparently, it was a doozy, the seventeen second clip of it the jury got to see had to have the sound turned off as it was very explicit. The only part of the tape that was for the jury was when the defendant recorded the side of his own neck for a bit. We saw his beard and skin, no marks. This sex which he recorded was the night before he killed her. They had sex about seven or eight Saturday night and she was killed about three thirty a.m. Sunday morning.
When mom woke up and found her daughter dead she called the police and asked for medical assistance right away, then she called the ex boyfriend. He showed up at the scene and before the detectives arrived they called ahead and asked him to be transported to the station where he could wait to be interviewed by detectives. The cop who transported him noticed scratch marks on his neck and detectives took pictures and of his chest where they later discovered other scratches. They still didn't know how the woman died at this point because there were no visible ligature marks on the neck. They thought it might be an overdose. The autopsy cleared that up. Also, when he was done he took her car keys and drove the car away a few blocks and texted the woman's mother from the dead girlfriend's phone and from her room saying she had to be at work early the next day.
Anyways, there was a ton other evidence all of it leading to a simple two hour deliberation and a proclamation of guilt. We decided he was guilty of premeditated murder. Murder in the first degree.
Anybody else serve recently?
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Post by staggerstag on Aug 1, 2021 21:05:54 GMT
Great account there.
Not recently but years ago. I sat on an 'Attempted Murder' case at Kingston Crown Court. Nowhere near as exciting as yours. I barely said a word in deliberation, too young, out of my depth. If I recall correctly, we (or rather the rest of the jurors, for I barely contributed) found him Guilty. Looking back, it's shocking that I was so detached from it all.
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Post by hehatesshe on Aug 1, 2021 21:16:44 GMT
As a salaried employee, I would love to do some jury duty. The longer the better.
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Post by nutsberryfarm š on Aug 1, 2021 21:28:46 GMT
Anybody here with some interesting tales from performing your civic duty? I just finished a three week stint at the ole Superior Court. At first you are put in the jury assembly room, then moved down to the jury panel hall to stew for a bit, and finally picked to serve on the jury. Juror #10 me was. The case was a code 187, homicide, determined by the coroner's autopsy to be a murder. The defendant was one of the most ignorant morons ever to attempt the "perfect murder". Yes, this was premeditated, planned and executed according to his calculations. It was a stupid plan, it was poorly executed and easy to see through. His defense attorney had absolutely no chance whatsoever. It was a guy who had lived with his girlfriend over at her parents house for two years, got kicked out, got mad she was starting to date other guys, in fact she was planning a sex tryst to Las Vegas with the new guy but never got there. The parents house had five, count 'em, five cameras on the exterior of the house and two on the interior of the house, there was a metal safety door as you entered that had two locks and the front wooden door had another. The front wooden door key also opened the locks on the bedroom doors which were also locked at night. This goofball made an appearance on all of the cameras and cameras on neighbors houses on the same street. This goofball thought wearing a hoodie and some sort of covering on the bottom half of his face to cover his long beard, and not wearing shoes, only socks, one of which he took off inside the house and he wore that one on the left hand and a plastic glove on the right hand would disguise him enough not to recognize him at the front door camera and the cameras inside the house. Wrong, very, very wrong. The way he walked and the way he hunched over was recognizable by anyone within five seconds. Then, there was a ton of cell phone evidence. There was him harassing his ex girlfriend and speaking in a way only her new boyfriend talked. New boy was a fan of the movie "Storm Troopers" and picked up on using the word "rightmeow" all the time in texts. Used in sentences like "Got to do this rightmeow" or some shit like it. Old boyfriend was mimicking it in texts to old girlfriend. Also, he was stalking the old girlfriend. Cell phone pinging towers in a pattern that showed he was following her regularly. One night as she partied at a co-worker's house he texted her 74 times. Both her phone and his were pinging the same tower that night. He was right outside stewing as she drank and had a great time. Oh, and there was a sex tape involved. It was hard to make the breakup stick and these two still saw each other, had meals and apparently still had sex. Must have been hard on him when he followed her over to her new boyfriends house one night and drove by the car where the girlfriend was giving the new boyfriend head in the front seat of the car. He drove by several times probably knowing what was going on. His car was seen by the both of them. But ok, back to the sex tape. Apparently, it was a doozy, the seventeen second clip of it the jury got to see had to have the sound turned off as it was very explicit. The only part of the tape that was for the jury was when the defendant recorded the side of his own neck for a bit. We saw his beard and skin, no marks. This sex which he recorded was the night before he killed her. They had sex about seven or eight Saturday night and she was killed about three thirty a.m. Sunday morning. When mom woke up and found her daughter dead she called the police and asked for medical assistance right away, then she called the ex boyfriend. He showed up at the scene and before the detectives arrived they called ahead and asked him to be transported to the station where he could wait to be interviewed by detectives. The cop who transported him noticed scratch marks on his neck and detectives took pictures and of his chest where they later discovered other scratches. They still didn't know how the woman died at this point because there were no visible ligature marks on the neck. They thought it might be an overdose. The autopsy cleared that up. Also, when he was done he took her car keys and drove the car away a few blocks and texted the woman's mother from the dead girlfriend's phone and from her room saying she had to be at work early the next day. Anyways, there was a ton other evidence all of it leading to a simple two hour deliberation and a proclamation of guilt. We decided he was guilty of premeditated murder. Murder in the first degree. Anybody else serve recently? 
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Post by DrKrippen on Aug 1, 2021 21:37:32 GMT
As a salaried employee, I would love to do some jury duty. The longer the better. Are you registered to vote? The voters rolls are a sure bet you will be called. And, be careful what you ask for.
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Post by nutsberryfarm š on Aug 1, 2021 21:39:53 GMT
As a salaried employee, I would love to do some jury duty. The longer the better. Are you registered to vote? The voters rolls are a sure bet you will be called. And, be careful what you ask for. i never get picked when i get called....
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Post by masterofallgoons on Aug 1, 2021 21:43:37 GMT
I was really looking forward to simply describing beat-for-beat the plot of 12 Angry Men as if I was the Henry Fonda character, but was too lazy.
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Post by DrKrippen on Aug 1, 2021 21:51:28 GMT
Are you registered to vote? The voters rolls are a sure bet you will be called. And, be careful what you ask for. i never get picked when i get called.... Same for me for years upon years. Weird thing took place last time I was summoned. I showed up, was picked for a panel, we all went into the court where the questioning by the district attorney and defense attorney goes on. They started asking questions and I thought I was about to have my first real jury duty. They picked the jury about five people before they got to me. But the judge says the defendants name before this even starts and something clicked in the back of my mind, I had heard that unusual name before. But nothing registered. Finally at the end of the day and those of us not picked were dismissed the defendant got up and turned around. Wow, what a surprise. The defendant in that case turned out to be the principal at the elementary school I attended as a kid and the name made total sense in an instant. I knew him well cause I spent a lot of time in his office while I was there and he was a cool guy. I was in trouble all the time, little stuff, and he always let me off what I thought was rather lightly. I would have done the same for him but I wasn't picked.
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Post by NJtoTX on Aug 1, 2021 22:05:47 GMT
Was almost selected for a murder trial. Only went a week. Texas.
Was on a 3 weeker in CA. Assault with a deadly weapon by an ex-felon. Victim, former friend of the accused, was extremely unlikeable. People changing stories. Key witness was one, and she'd since died. Prosecution did a horrible job. Foreman just wanted to rush a guilty verdict. I had taken notes and brought up a bunch of things they hadn't even asked. Voted 8-4 to acquit. Guilty on a lesser charge of possession. One woman would only say "I just think he's guilty." I went out to the location when it ended. It was like Dealey Square.
More recently, I was tossed on a domestic violence case. I would have followed the law, but I did say "It make you think a bit" that she desperately wanted his case dismissed.
Most recently, I spaced on a summons for Jury Duty. Hope I'm not in huge trouble. Over a year ago.
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Post by DrKrippen on Aug 1, 2021 22:25:00 GMT
Was almost selected for a murder trial. Only went a week. Texas. Was on a 3 weeker in CA. Assault with a deadly weapon by an ex-felon. Victim, former friend of the accused, was extremely unlikeable. People changing stories. Key witness was one, and she'd since died. Prosecution did a horrible job. Foreman just wanted to rush a guilty verdict. I had taken notes and brought up a bunch of things they hadn't even asked. Voted 8-4 to acquit. Guilty on a lesser charge of possession. One woman would only say "I just think he's guilty." I went out to the location when it ended. It was like Dealey Square. More recently, I was tossed on a domestic violence case. I would have followed the law, but I did say "It make you think a bit" that she desperately wanted his case dismissed. Most recently, I spaced on a summons for Jury Duty. Hope I'm not in huge trouble. Over a year ago. There must be thousands of "assault with deadly weapon" cases around. Even if convicted do those guys get much of a sentence these days? Probably not in California. When the jury is split like that it must be maddening. I thought we were headed in that direction because on the first vote there were two people who said they would vote "not guilty". Thank god they were easily persuaded by the facts.
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Post by FrankSobotka1514 on Aug 1, 2021 22:28:57 GMT
I was never picked for any criminal cases and only served on one civil case. The case was to determine how much, if anything, an insurance company should pay a car accident victim. Nothing interesting enough happened to report here other than this occurred 25 - 30 years ago. I would love to be on another jury, I find the whole process interesting. Gimme a good OJ trial or something.
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Post by msdemos on Aug 1, 2021 23:02:09 GMT
Nothing that interesting.........been called a total of three times (Milwaukee County) in my life, and served on two juries (the last time I was called I was lucky enough to be assigned as an "alternate" juror, which meant I only needed to appear at the courthouse if they needed me that day (you call in at the start of each day to find out if they will), and both days I wasn't needed). The one memory I'll always have from that time was the fact that my employer chose to "confiscate" my jury check the first time, which, if I recall, was something like $37.00 for the three days I was there, which is their right here in the state of Wisconsin (since, obviously, they're paying for me to be there (I was salaried at the time) during the week).   SAVE FERRIS
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Post by FrankSobotka1514 on Aug 1, 2021 23:07:56 GMT
Nothing that interesting.........been called a total of three times (Milwaukee County) in my life, and served on two juries (the last time I was called I was lucky enough to be assigned as an "alternate" juror, which meant I only needed to appear at the courthouse if they needed me that day (you call in at the start of each day to find out if they will), and both days I wasn't needed). The one lasting memory I'll always have from that time was the fact that my employer chose to "confiscate" my jury check the first time, which, if I recall, was something like $37.00 for the three days I was there, which is their right here in the state of Wisconsin (since, obviously, they're paying for me to be there (I was salaried at the time) during the week). SAVE FERRIS The last time I was summoned for jury duty (but not picked) there was some small amount of money given for our trouble. But on the form we filled out to receive it there were a number of local organizations you could donate it to so I just donated it to some women's shelter. It's not like I could have bought a Jaguar with it.
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Post by msdemos on Aug 1, 2021 23:12:44 GMT
Nothing that interesting.........been called a total of three times (Milwaukee County) in my life, and served on two juries (the last time I was called I was lucky enough to be assigned as an "alternate" juror, which meant I only needed to appear at the courthouse if they needed me that day (you call in at the start of each day to find out if they will), and both days I wasn't needed). The one lasting memory I'll always have from that time was the fact that my employer chose to "confiscate" my jury check the first time, which, if I recall, was something like $37.00 for the three days I was there, which is their right here in the state of Wisconsin (since, obviously, they're paying for me to be there (I was salaried at the time) during the week). SAVE FERRIS The last time I was summoned for jury duty (but not picked) there was some small amount of money given for our trouble. But on the form we filled out to receive it there were a number of local organizations you could donate it to so I just donated it to some women's shelter. It's not like I could have bought a Jaguar with it. Nice !!  SAVE FERRIS
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Post by DrKrippen on Aug 1, 2021 23:25:14 GMT
Oh, so this is what it was all about.
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Aug 1, 2021 23:30:42 GMT
I only had to go once, and after sitting through the lame video about how important our civic duty is, the defendant copped a plea and we all got to go home.
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Post by DrKrippen on Aug 2, 2021 0:04:27 GMT
Looking back, it's shocking that I was so detached from it all. Sort of like that character from Camus' The Stranger.  I know how that guy felt too.
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Aug 2, 2021 0:49:38 GMT
Called once, not picked. Defendant was my age and accused of beating the crap out of his girlfriend. I knew Iād be the first excused. I did get the notice one other time, the day after my father died. I was excused tout suite
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Post by HumanFundRecipient on Aug 2, 2021 1:41:59 GMT
I got my summons, went to the county courthouse on the day and date to learn what I would be doing and when. Which was a two week stint as an alternate juror on the grand jury starting three days after the summons. Among the cases I would have decided should or should not go to trial, a clear case of homicide involving juveniles, a clear case of self defense against an attempted home invasion, a disturbing instance of a consensual adult/child interaction, and on each of the two Fridays, a whole bunch of drug related crimes. Any of us alternate jurors had to leave the room while the nine grand jurors voted to have cases go to trial.
This was in 2014.
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Post by ThreeSticks on Aug 2, 2021 2:01:56 GMT
The only time I got called for jury duty ended up being a civil suit related to a collapsed structure during a wind storm. Luckily for me, I was in the very first group called up to jury box for questioning. I was the very first person dismissed after I told the judge that I thought the litigious nature of our society was out of control and that I'm inclined to think negatively towards those who sue.
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