Jury Service - Do it, or else!

[Raistlin]

Oh, I understand, he stipulated to the killing. That's actually a valid strategy in some cases.

And those facts are highly disturbing.

[Peegee]

We weren't actually deciding whether or not he was guilty, but rather determining his degree of guilt.

That... makes no sense to me. Didn't the jury have the option to find him not guilty on all charges? The manslaughter charge was just a lesser-included offense (meaning that every element of manslaughter is also in murder, though not vice-versa, and he could only be found guilty of one).

I would've been skeptical that a stoned eighteen-year-old could form the requisite intent and premeditation typically required in state laws for first degree murder. However, voluntary intoxication generally is no defense to murder, so second degree murder might have been more fair. It should be noted that I have no idea about the specifics of the case.

He admitted he killed the boy, but he was trying to say the drugs made him do it which, like you said, is no defense to murder. As for the details, he went out of his way to kill this boy, who was watching cartoons in a room by himself and he searched him out and killed him in a horrible way. It was very, very sad.

The choice of words seems to me that he actively had to 'find' the person, rather than (i unno) being high off his gourd and stumbling around with a dangerous object and killing a person.

can you tell us what defense he put forth?

[Del Murder]

I was called in once. I was part of the group being selected for a murder trial. It was similar to Jentle's where the man admitted to the killing but the jury had to decide the actual charge. I was never actually put on the jury since they settled on the 15 before my name was called.

For the most part I noticed anyone with strong opinions or who seemed intelligent would get cut by the lawyers. People who looked like they were trying to get out of it would be talked into staying by the judge, who obviously had heard all these excuses before. So if you want to get out of jury duty, just act like you're intelligent and have strong opinions.

Next time I hope I get put on a jury. After my experience I realized that I wouldn't want the most gullible, slack jawed people deciding my fate if I was innocent or the fate of someone who committed a horrible crime against me. I would take my civic duty seriously and decide the outcome based on the facts of the case, and not how much I liked the lawyers.

I noticed this is GC but I will be uncharacteristically coherent for once.

If I were in your position and I had to make a jury decision on a case, I would absolutely vote to acquit the accused regardless of evidence.

Basically this, unless it were something like a violent crime for which the accused was clearly guilty. On the other hand if it were something stupid like drugs or prostitution I'd definitely vote to acquit regardless of how clear the case of transgression was, since the fact that the laws exist is a clear violation of human liberty to begin with.

Good thing you nutjobs weren't on Al Capone's jury.

[Peegee]

wevs as if I would be selected. apparently there is a intelligence threshold

what questions get asked and what sort of responses are sought?

[DMKA]

We weren't actually deciding whether or not he was guilty, but rather determining his degree of guilt.

That... makes no sense to me. Didn't the jury have the option to find him not guilty on all charges? The manslaughter charge was just a lesser-included offense (meaning that every element of manslaughter is also in murder, though not vice-versa, and he could only be found guilty of one).

I would've been skeptical that a stoned eighteen-year-old could form the requisite intent and premeditation typically required in state laws for first degree murder. However, voluntary intoxication generally is no defense to murder, so second degree murder might have been more fair. It should be noted that I have no idea about the specifics of the case.

He admitted he killed the boy, but he was trying to say the drugs made him do it which, like you said, is no defense to murder. As for the details, he went out of his way to kill this boy, who was watching cartoons in a room by himself and he searched him out and killed him in a horrible way. It was very, very sad.

That's so awful.

[Miriel]

I've ignored like... 3 summons so far. I got another summons in the mail and I don't think I should push my luck by ignoring this one too. But, I don't wanna do jury duty.

[Loony BoB]

I clicked into the latest posts of this thread at the same time as the 'Favourite Summons' thread in General Final Fantasy and then went away from my desk. Upon return, I saw Miriel's post on my screen and for a moment was very confused.

[Del Murder]

I laughed when Miriel got her summons. Then yesterday I got one.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Karma, Del. Karma.

[Del Murder]

We should try to reschedule it on the same day so we could get on the same trial and then SELL THE VERDICT FOR MILLIONS. We can be very persuasive as a team. Just ask the staff. Our reign of terror was one of the most beautiful things this place had ever seen.

[qwertysaur]

Charlie should be promoted to admin.