A Day in Court

Back in the day, there were many occasions when I would show up in court to contest a speeding ticket—hoping the judge would reduce the points or make the ticket go away altogether. As a high school or college student, the value of time versus money was somewhat out of whack—and spending a few hours in court was offset by the promise of saving $50 or so. Decades have passed—and thankfully, my days of speeding and reckless driving are long behind me. Hence, I haven’t been to court in years.

In recent months, I read of a couple who spend many days of their retirement showing up at court. For whatever reason, they are passionate about listening to various cases—and then role playing as if they were jurors on the case. While I don’t share this passion, I was fascinated by the story–and decided a sabbatical is a good excuse to visit the circuit court and sit through such an experience.

Upon checking into the Assignment office yesterday, a gentleman asked what type of case I would like to hear and he eventually directed me to a first degree murder trial. After being seated in the courtroom (and prior to the jury being ushered in), the Judge read aloud a note from one of the jurors—who happened to be a real estate agent. Simply stated, the juror was requesting a later start time if the trial went beyond one more day. Apparently, one of her clients had a home inspection scheduled and the agent wanted to be present during this process. Is it a bit odd for a juror to manipulate the start time of a murder trial because of a home inspection?

The experience was gripping—as I witnessed the testimony of the medical examiner’s office regarding the autopsy report, and later heard the closing arguments put forth by both the State and Defense attorney. Upon hearing the State’s case, it appeared to be a slam dunk conviction for first degree murder. After the Defense attorney contradicted the prosecutor’s presentation of facts, you couldn’t help but think there was reasonable doubt in the fact the murder was pre-meditated. Was this a planned execution, or an act of rage I asked myself? Looking at the defendant, it was clear this dude was getting convicted of first or second degree murder—but to think that twelve people will ultimately decide his fate seemed surreal in a way. Clearly, I only caught the final day of the trial. Had I been present for the entire case, I’m sure I would be more decisive in my thinking.

I’m interested to see what the jury ultimately decided. Obviously, there are no winners in a murder case—unless of course the real estate agent was able to make her scheduled home inspection.