How many juries have you served on?

[MiddleFingerMom]

11. I was hung.

.
.
.
We were doomed from the start -- we had an old racist homophobe on the jury and
the defendant was white, the victim Mexican -- AND she claimed anal rape which
made the old guy start referring to him oh-so-subtly as "the gay-ro" instead of "the
guru". We didn't find out 'til afterwards that we probably could have had him removed
from the jury. If we had known, we would have and I think we MIGHT have compromised
to a second-degree conviction, also. With HIM on the jury, it was pointless (he was pushing
for "manslaughter" -- a change from his initial "not guilty" after we started WONDERING
out loud whether we could have him removed or not).
.
I think the second jury found her guilty of second-degree murder, rather than the
alternatives of first-degree or manslaughter.
.
It was frustrating and fascinating. I sought out his parents in the hallway afterwards
and hugged them and apologized for our outcome. I was utterly convinced of her
guilt -- I changed some minds in the jury room from second-degree to first-degree
votes (though not enough minds) AND I asked the judge (who agreed) to have the
D.A. explain the forensic gun findings to the jury again -- almost none of them had
experience with guns and had missed her points completely the first time.
.
.
.
The D.A. was a brilliant, little bitty fearless fireball. I thought she was hot.
.
.
.