J IS FOR JURY

Both defendants were found guilty. One of minor assault; the other of murder and felonious assault. The former was immediately released from jail for time already served, but he was also fined. The latter was sentenced to 20 years to life. The jurors had performed their duty, and they were dismissed.

My husband was one of the jurors for that murder trial that ended this past Wednesday. Because he was instructed not to discuss it with anyone and not to watch or read the news, I never knew the particulars until the trial was over. Then, he was free to tell me about it.

The dead man was 50 years old. The two accused of murdering him were all of 28 and 35. I was not surprised to find that alcohol played a role in the entire matter. Those "for the heck of it" gatherings where people drink themselves blind can bring out the ugly in people. Such was the case among these three neighborhood men who had started drinking at the home of the 50-year-old fellow. Too much booze, not enough self-control, aggression gone amok, angry words exchanged, and a death resulted. Such a waste.

Very disturbing to me was the way in which the man was murdered. He was not blameless for escalating the day's earlier argument to a more fevered pitch. He physically attacked one of the men. As he lay atop the man he pinned, the other man came over and kicked and stomped on his head...repeatedly. Enough so that he lost consciousness. Then, as the one man struggled to get out from beneath the weight of him, the "stomper" took off running. While the man cried and tried to revive his attacker, the stomper made his way to a restaurant for a meal. ::shaking my head:: Within 24 hours brain swelling and a broken windpipe claimed the man's life.

Thus, the need for a murder trial.

My hubby was swamped with work during the trial, and he would set out early in the morning to get his job duties done as best as he could in the limited time frame he had. Then, off he would go to the court house. I could tell the days that had been difficult for him there. The days he was undoubtedly shown the pictures of the deceased (all jurors had been informed they would be viewing such photographs). The days he must have listened to both defendants give their versions of what happened. The witnesses' testimony. And finally, the toll it took on him when it came down to reaching a verdict for each of the defendants. He was more somber at home. Sometimes edgy. He later told me it was a very sobering experience. You are in a place where you are responsible for affecting someone's life. You are declaring them innocent or guilty...in this instance, affecting them in a monumental way.

He did his duty, and he did it well. All of the jurors did. While the legal system is oftentimes a sham and subject to the reckless whims of judges and jurors who have their own hidden agendas, this case seemed very traditional. The way we would like to think all of them would be and should be. Fair. Timely. Following the letter of the law.

As we stroll, stumble, and skip through life, wouldn't it be nice if people acted the same way toward us? Treated us fairly? Sought out the truth from us instead of relying exclusively upon third parties? Listened to us without already having decided our guilt or innocence? Dismissed or downplayed circumstantial evidence in lieu of eyewitnesses who saw it all from start to finish? Disallowed conjecture to enter the picture?

Unfortunately, that is a pipe dream. Too many people are judges and juries rolled into one. They determine and find the "truth" according to their own standards. Which, of course, is based on their own lives and what has or has not happened during them. And their agendas are no longer hidden when they publicly hammer away at others. Being a judge gives them a sense of importance. They are in control. In charge. And their personal vendettas surface. Never mind that they are much like drunken fools unable to see that they have, in fact, lost all of their self-control and given in to their aggressive (or passive/aggressive) natures using their sharp tongues or quick fists to keep the fires fueled.

No one is completely immune from having fallen into that pattern at least a time or two. The smart ones see it for what it is, and they get away from it to the best of their ability. Their vision allows them to see that they risk turning into a gutter snipe or worse if they do not exercise true self-control. Bravo to them. Now, if only others would follow suit.

There is a saying that goes, "Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians." Paraphrase that to read, "Too many judges and not enough impartial jurors." Works for me.

Closing with a quotation I find highly amusing.

"Judge: a law student who marks his own papers." ~H. L. Mencken