MEMOIR

I Wanted No Part of Putting a Man To Death

My jury duty dilemma

I was pumped as I walked into the County Courthouse to perform my civic responsibility of jury duty. It was my first time summoned, and I looked forward to the experience.

It came at a great time, too. I hated my job, so it was a nice paid break from that.

As the jury selection process started, I took my seat with the other potential jurors. I was surprised there were so many people, well over a hundred by my count, filling the courtroom pews.

Once we were all settled in, the defendant was brought in and sat beside his attorney.

My curiosity began to wonder what crime was committed.

I eyed the defendant, and no matter how hard I tried not to, I immediately judged him; he looked like a criminal, and before I even knew any facts or what the case was about, I thought, Oh, he’s guilty.

It wasn’t my proudest moment.

I wondered if other potential jurors felt that way when they first saw him or if I was part of the problem in the justice system.

I noticed tattoos covering the tops of his hands and across his knuckles, stone-cold dead eyes, and a long, unkempt beard.

I was uncomfortable looking at him; he looked like someone I’d walk the other way from if I ever crossed paths with him on the street.

It wouldn’t have mattered if he was dressed in a $5000 suit, shaved his beard, and cut his hair; it was too late for me to be partial and fair.

I started to doubt if I was suited for jury duty.

The judge entered the courtroom and filled us in on what the charges were: Capital Murder, Sexual Assault, Terroristic Threats, and Kidnapping. The state was seeking the death penalty.

You’ve got to be shitting me!!!

Why couldn’t I have been assigned a traffic or drug case? No, I get assigned a fucking Capital Murder case!

The list of charges had barely left the judge’s mouth, and all I thought was, I gotta get the hell out of here.

At that point, it didn’t matter to me how heinous the crime was or if he was guilty or not; I wanted no part in putting this man to death if convicted.

It wasn’t because I was anti-death penalty. I’ve always been indifferent when it comes to it. Whether a jury of twelve people decides to put someone to death is their decision. However, I knew I didn’t want to play the role of God.

I’ve heard of too many situations where innocent people were put to death for crimes they didn’t commit, and for as much as I had already unfairly judged this man, I didn’t want that responsibility of determining his fate.

If someone close to me were to be brutally murdered and the killer was in line for the death penalty, I might change my mind, but thankfully, that hasn’t happened.

I was not an unbiased juror, so I knew I needed a plan to get dismissed from the selection process for his sake and mine.

Each attorney took turns asking the jury pool questions.

The defense attorney stood up and asked the room, “What would be a reason that a defendant would not take the stand in their defense?”

Hallelujah, this was my chance!

I quickly raised my hand, and his attorney asked me for my answer.

“Because they’re guilty!” I yelled from my seat.

I knew what I was doing. It was the perfect answer, and I felt my plan, Operation Get Dismissed, was almost complete.

A few other potential jurors chimed in with other reasons why a defendant wouldn’t take the stand, but I was confident the defense attorney would push to dismiss me.

After the questioning was completed, all jurors were sent out of the courtroom. About 30 minutes later, we were called back to see if we were selected.

I was juror 41. It seemed like time was at a standstill as they read off the numbers of each selected juror.

“7, 19, 34, 49…”

Whew, it was over. I was out.

I left the courtroom that day both relieved and disappointed. I felt like I did the right thing by getting myself removed from the trial, but it bothered me how quick I was to convict him before I heard any facts of the case.

I followed the trial throughout its duration. It lasted five days, and he was convicted of Capital Murder, Kidnapping, and Sexual Assault.

There were multiple parties involved in the murder. The prosecution was able to prove that he was involved in the killing, but they couldn’t prove he pulled the trigger.

Due to the uncertainty of who the actual killer was, the state law prohibited the jury from sentencing him to the death penalty, so he received a life sentence.

I’ve received only one jury summons since that trial, but I was not required to report.

Next time, I’m going to do my best to go into it with a more open mind.

Is it too much to ask for a non-death penalty case next time?