Appearing for jury duty is part of our civic duty and what makes the US Justice System one of the best systems in the world. Is it always correct or fair? Not always. But until you've sat in that jury box and are facing a cold-blooded killer, you will never know how important the duty bestowed upon you can be. However, sitting through an entire murder trial can also be educational and a life-turning event. You become one of a group of people that will be passing judgment on another person - a person who is accused of taking the life of another.
When I received my notification for jury duty, there was not any information on what the trial was about. Living in a small rural town, I had the impression it would be a simple case and nothing further entered my mind. I also had the notion that I would be quickly turned away as my husband is in law enforcement. Neither was the case. As soon as I began to fill out my questionnaire, I knew this was not a simple case especially when one of the questions asked about my views on the death penalty.
Over 200 people were called in for jury duty on this case. The first day was narrowed down to about half. I was part of the first 60 and after some questioning by the prosecution and defense attorney, I was asked to return the next day. The next day, others were questioned while most of us from the first day basically sat around and waited. Again, I was asked to return the following day. There were about 50-60 of us left and we sat and listened to a lot of legal talk and were asked more questions.
Finally on Friday after more lectures, talk, and questions, the attorneys started making their decisions. The judge started naming off names that were released to go and my heart sank as one by one, names were called except for mine. I was left in the room of 11 other people. I then knew that I would be on the jury. And Monday morning, I arrived with my 11 fellow jurors and 2 others from another group were added for a total of 14. Two were alternates but we would not know who the alternates were until we began deliberations. We would be listening to the case of a young man who was accused of killing an elderly man in cold blood. A death-penalty murder trial and the life of a 23 year-old man was placed in our hands.
We sat through approximately two weeks of evidence and testimony. Yes, there were horrific pictures and yes, I will never forget the pictures. Following the killing, the elderly man was placed in his garage and his body was not found for over a week. This was in the scorching month of September in South Florida with no air conditioning. The body was so badly decomposed that the coroner couldn't even get a DNA sample from the victim. Nothing was held back, we saw it all and we were told every gruesome detail.
Sitting on a trial is not like watching CSI on television, of course I had no preconceived notions that it would be. There were some unique characters brought in as witnesses and some long, drawn out testimony that could put you to sleep. There were also times I became angry and wanted to slap a few up beside the head - there were warning signs, there were so many things that could have been done to prevent this death, and there was a man on trial who simply killed an old man because he wanted his house. Yes, the defendant thought that no one would miss an old man and he could simply kill him and take over the residence.
In the end, I was not one of the alternates and joined my fellow jurors to deliberate this man's guilt or innocence. There was no doubt of guilt - between DNA, receipts, and a taped confession, the man was guilty. We still deliberated and looked over evidence and two hours later, we came back with a unanimous verdict of guilty of first degree murder along with a few other charges that coincided with the murder.
Before the penalty phase, we had to sit through more testimony. This was the only time the defense had any witnesses. During the defense attorney's closing, he said he was not surprised at our verdict - he expected it. But he wanted to save this boy's life. The decision for life or death did not have to be unanimous, only a majority could put the defendant on death row. Again, it only took the jury about two hours to decide the fate of the defendant - by a vote of 11 to 1 in favor of death.
It has been several months since I sat on that jury and not a day goes by that I don't think about the service I gave as a juror. As a person with deep faith and morals, I took my duty very seriously. During the verdict, I made the decision that upheld the law and during the sentencing phase, I made a choice that I knew I would live with. I learned a lot about the legal system and more than I wanted to know about death penalty law. The question I receive most often is "who was the one who voted for life?". Our votes were done anonymously by placing our judgment on a piece of paper and placing it in a bowl. No one knows who that one person was (except that person) and that's the way it should remain.