Jury Duty: Criminal Allegations Weigh Heavily

A couple of weeks ago, I reported for jury duty at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. There were innumerable jury candidates, some immediately screened out for a variety of reasons. Those who remained were escorted in to the court room. The judge was exceedingly patient in explaining our roles and duties. He answered questions, educating us, to some degree, on the legal system. He also thanked us for appearing.

As I sat in the jury box (purely arbitrary seating per the bailiff) the prosecuting attorney sat alone, surrounded by a stack of files on the desk in front of him.  The defense attorney sat next to his client: a young, twenty-something, handsome male appearing so poised and debonair in his suit and tie, surely the accusations were erroneous. He’s just a kid. Look at him! What does he know?

We were then instructed to obtain and answer a questionnaire packet from the clerk's office downstairs.

We weren’t advised of the charges during our session with the judge. However, the packet contained a written version of the allegations: two counts of first degree murder followed by a host of additional felony charges, each one so heinous, I couldn’t comprehend the atrocities.  The young man was arrested just this side of executing his modus operandi on a third victim, who called the police because she heard someone trying to break into her apartment – the same 55+ complex where the murder victims had resided.

A comprehensive questionnaire accompanied the allegations, asking questions like: What are your favorite TV shows?  Answer:  The West Wing; My Name is Earl; The Office – Netflix, if you please, I don’t have TVs.  Question: Would you be able to withstand looking at graphic photos of the murder scene? Answer: No.  Question: If the defendant is found guilty of first degree murder, the charges bring either a sentence of death or a sentence of life in prison without parole.  How would you handle such a decision? Answer: I’d pray for wisdom. Question: Do you think that someone who has mental problems or a drug addiction – or both, can express remorse for murdering someone?  Answer:  Sure. He or she can express anything he or she desires while sane, sober, insane, intoxicated or any combination, thereof. The better question is: Will a transparent expression of remorse for murder carry any weight at all? Emphatically, no.  

I’m paraphrasing a few of the myriad questions, for the questionnaire was comprehensive, at best and unsettling, at worst.  When we finished with the query, we were instructed to return about a week later. I met with some friends later that day to vent.  I broke down and cried. I had no idea that a first-degree murder conviction carries the ultimate sentence to be decided by jurors.  My friend, Loreῆa, suggested I cross that bridge should I come to it, since I had yet to be selected for jury duty. Then she gave me a BIG chocolate chip cookie, some tea and a box of tissue while I shared this unexpected emotional outburst regarding a life or death decision I may be asked to make about a perfect stranger.

This wasn't to be anything like commanding a time out, a week's restriction, community service or probation. The trouble was I felt this overwhelming compassion for the victims and their respective family members, who weren’t present. Furthermore, I desired that they obtain full justice.

I felt a small sense of empathy for the young man while reading the list of his monstrous acts within and to our society. What the heck happened to his moral compass? What happened to his heart? The allegations painted a picture of a chilling, callous, calculating young man who possessed neither one. Hence, he was a shell of a human being, all dressed up.

As instructed, I appeared again in late June.  I was graciously excused from jury duty. I praised my gracious God, continuing in prayer for everyone involved – the judge, the jury, the attorneys, the defendant and the victims’ families, more so after reading TODAY’S  headlines, having nothing to do with the aforementioned case:

·     Judge Agrees Marine Should Die For Murdering French Valley Couple

·     Records Point to Gruesome Disposal of Grandmother’s Body

What the heck, young men?  It’s sooooo sad and disquieting. I can’t talk about this anymore today.

Lynda StarWriter is a freelance writer and a public speaker.