Posts

Chapter 13 – Jury Chaos

“Are we allowed to bring in handwritten notes? When you started reading your letter yesterday, I was concerned that you were bringing in information that was not fact based and was your opinion.” Juror #5   When we settled into the deliberation room on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, Juror #5 was clearly agitated. Once we were all seated, she immediately took the floor to raise concerns about me and how our deliberations had been going so far. She argued that since there were strict rules about not being able to bring our notes out of the courtroom during the trial, and not taking anything out of the deliberation room, we also shouldn’t be allowed to bring in notes we had made at home. My stomach sank—had I done something wrong? Other jurors quickly came to my defense, pointing out that we were allowed to form and express our own opinions. Juror #5 acknowledged that but questioned how we could be sure my notes weren’t influenced by outside information. The foreperson stepped in a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chapter 12 - Well…that’s one way to kill the mood

  “I am usually very agreeable, but I can’t do that here. This case against Officer Nelson just isn’t beyond a reasonable doubt.” Juror #2   The entire weekend following that first day of deliberations—especially after dodging the angry mob we’d inadvertently encountered that Friday evening—was filled with anxiety. I could barely sleep, toiling over our deliberations, so certain of my not-guilty vote on count one, yet only two others shared that view with me at this point. Additionally, the scene in the rotunda that evening left me panicked about what fallout might come from our decision in this case. It suddenly became viscerally clear that whatever verdict we rendered would be met with anger from one side or the other. By the time Sunday came around, I was resolved to write a letter to my fellow jurors, making the strongest case possible for why nine of them should shift their opinions and agree with my certainty that Nelson was not guilty of murder in the second deg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chapter 11 - A Polite Day of Deliberations

Image
  “This is a safe space, just get it out however it comes out.” Juror 16 (Foreperson of the jury)   On Friday, June 21st, the twelve of us who had been retained as deliberating jurors began arriving at the courthouse around 8:30 a.m. I forgot to mention in the last chapter that right after Mr. Calfo completed his rebuttal closing argument, Judge Phelps announced that two of the fourteen of us had been selected as alternates all along. As she started to say that, my heart raced, and I thought: "Don’t be me, don’t be me." I had come so far with the case and had formed definite opinions, so I really wanted to see the process through. Judge Phelps read a series of instructions for the two jurors she was about to name. She said that even though they were being released now, they were still under the court's orders not to talk about the case. They were not to research the case or watch the news. They had to remain ready to rejoin the jury if something happened where one o...
1 comment
Read more

Chapter 10 - Now you tell us!

  “They said he only had a second to shoot once he cleared the gun. I want you to think about that. Did Officer Nelson—did the defendant—only have a second to shoot? HE HAD AN ETERNITY TO WAIT! He could have waited an hour! There was nothing happening that required him to shoot!” Angelo Calfo   This statement from Mr. Calfo during his closing argument was echoed by Anthony (#6) during our deliberations. It's a statement that still reverberates in my mind to this day. On Tuesday, June 18th, we returned to court for Judge Phelps to read our instructions for deliberations. The very first statement in the instructions was as follows: “It is your duty to decide the facts in this case based upon the evidence presented to you during this trial. It also is your duty to accept the law from my instructions, regardless of what you personally believe the law is or what you personally think it should be. You must apply the law from my instructions to the fact that you decide have...
2 comments
Read more