Jury Duty

I am finally done with my jury duty. I got picked for a 2 day case. It was my first time being summoned and on top of that being picked. Oh lucky me.... but it was kind of interesting the first 6 hours of the trial. After that it got really redundant.

To sum up 2 days worth on the trial:

The suspect walks into home depot with an empty duffle bag

Goes to where the circuit breakers located and stuffs handfuls ($1500 worth) of circuit breakers in the bag. Store manger sees this and approaches the suspect. Suspect runs for the door wearing a white foot ball jersey (omg the lawyers would not shut up about it).

Alarms go off and two home depot employees that were outside chase the suspect across the parking lot.

(this was all on tape. Turns out home depot has colored surveillance cameras. Very cool)

Well a home depot customer in his car saw what was happening and drove to follow the suspect. He saw the suspect takes off the jersey, stuffed it into the bag, run to the middle of a busy street and hopped into a Lincoln town car. So the home depot customer called 911 and gave them the play by play of where the suspect and driver where going. He followed them for about 3-5 miles where the cops finally pulled the Lincoln over.

The state plaintiff had like 6 witnesses, 2 video tapes, 911 call, duffle bag, turned in side out football jersey, mug shots, and a receipt from home depot that the store manger made to show the total amount that was stolen.

Pretty much the defendant had nothing. The were kind of pulling thin strings out of no where in my opinion. The only "witness" they had was a lady in correctional that does the processing of what the suspect had on him before he went to jail. It was a wallet with some cash. Defendant lawyers where saying that the whole of the story is that the suspect didnt have ENOUGH money for the circuit breakers.

When us jury people went in the back to deliberate only 2 out of the 12 had issues with the case. The Suspect was in trial for two offences: Burglary and Grand Larceny (Grand Larceny is stolen goods over $250). The judge hands you a thick packet of papers and reads out loud the charges and which each offence means. One guy was hooked up on the word intent (from the packet) in burglary section and one guy was hooked up in larceny because he believed that you cant prove that the circuit breakers where from home depot. He was saying maybe he got them at Lowes? After about an hour of seeing other points of views and munching on pizza we came to an verdict of guilty on both charges.

I didnt see the sentencing but thats what you get for being caught red handed. If that good samaritan never saw what happened in the parking lot and followed the man with 911 on the other line the suspect would of gotten away with the crime.

Great news that I got paid $40 a day for my service (even on pooling day!). That $120!!! Whoo! Time to get gas for the car and food for a party at a friend's house on Saturday!