After all these days of watching Court TV....it was my turn.....my turn to serve my community by sitting on the jury of a man accused of 3 counts of unlawful sexual conduct and 3 counts of unlawful sexual battery with a girl 15 years old.....he was 44. He was her horseback riding instructor. The two day trial was gruelling for me. Those who know me know Pat and I have been involved helping sexual abuse victimes for over 30 years.....yet I also was involved in a case in which a minor accused one of the Toboso teachers of the same conduct. The female teacher escaped the loss of her career and the devastation of her life because she was innocent and the case was dismissd before it went to trial.....So there I sat Wednesday and Thursday........listening to the compelling evidence for and against this girl's claim. She said/He said.....and we the jury were to have to decide who was telling the truth. HEAVY STUFF! Although I can give the final result in a sentence....the process was exhausting. (I woke up at 4 AM the second day thinking it would be a hung jury). .....And what if we made the wrong decision....what if we sent an innocent man to jail.....or didn't vindicate a 15 year old who's life would either way be permenantly affected.....and the hard evidence was slim. In the jury room we all introduced ourselves and then began the hard work of sorting it all out.....every sentence...every witness....every detail.....his story.....her story......and then.....the tape. The detectives had the girl call him and tell him she had reported his behavior to a local church youth leader. It was he who called the police. The reaction of the accused man was immediate and spontaneous....."YOU MUST LIE".....he told her....."if you don't I'll be sent to jail!" The rest of the story can be read in the two day story in the advocate at the following links....http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071025/NEWS01/710250328
and
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071025/UPDATES01/71025035
The "rest of the story" for me includes:
- I realize even more how the male sex drive and very poor judgement can cause some men to do stupid, awful, family destroying....innocence destroying....unlawful things.
- An appreciation for the youth leader who "did the right thing," the social workers, Kid's Assessment Team, police, prosecution and defence attorneys, judge and fellow jurors that are at the backbone of a process that makes this country great.
I will never be quite the same having had this experience.
3 comments:
Wow. Thanks for sharing this Bill.
Bill,
I was pretty sure when I heard the charges I was going to be the defense's first preemptory challenge. In a job where I help children through these things, I knew I was gone. I was very surprised they chose you though. I did not think a school principal would be on the jury. I knew in this case I would have been able to be objective because I've had the experience of someone I'm close to having been falsely accused and sent to prison.
Once I read the stories as they unfolded each day in the paper, I was glad I was not there. From what the newspaper reported, the tape would have been the key for me as well. I would definitely have been able to see him guilty of those few things he admitted to on the stand, but the tape sealed the rest of the story.
I can tell you this, while this girl could have irreparable damage, if she receives the right support and therapy, she can make it through this and she can eventually move beyond this experience, although she will never forget.
Blessings to you...
Teresa
And now I understand the rest of the story. I haven't heard you that tired and sheerly exhausted before (except maybe the stomach flu ;). Coming from someone who gives the general population the benefit of the doubt, this had to be so incredibly difficult.
Glad you could get through it and do your duty...and move on, though changed by the experience.
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