I got summoned for JURY DUTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Page 2 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Resolute 14 · 07-17-2008, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teh_Bandwagoner

Maybe he's racist. You can't serve jury duty if you're racist either

Calling the judge an a-hole, however, is not a recommended course of action:

http://www.ocala.com/article/2008071..._lands_in_jail

Personally, I would love to sit a jury. Kinda disappointed I haven't been asked yet.

CaptainCrunch · 07-17-2008, 08:40 AM

My dad served on two juries.

The first one was a murder trial where a guy beat his wife and brother to death with a guitar.

The second one was a case of a bank suing a man for walking away from his mortgage during the NEP, there was no way that the jury was going to find for the bank.

Bobblehead · 07-17-2008, 08:52 AM

I was summoned a few years ago.

Went down to the courthouse on the specified day. Sat in a packed to the gills courtroom. They announced they were drawing for a couple trials. The would pull names at random, people would go up, after a while each jury was filled (with only about 1/4 of the people having been called) and everyone else was thanked and excused.

So it appeared to me that you odds of actually being on a jury are much less than 50-50, even if you are summoned.

fatso · 07-17-2008, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

My dad served on two juries.

The first one was a murder trial where a guy beat his wife and brother to death with a guitar.

The second one was a case of a bank suing a man for walking away from his mortgage during the NEP, there was no way that the jury was going to find for the bank.

Honky-Tonk Wayne is a killer? I thought he just retired from the squared circle, I didn't know he was in jail!

CaptainCrunch · 07-17-2008, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatso

Honky-Tonk Wayne is a killer? I thought he just retired from the squared circle, I didn't know he was in jail!

Thats pretty funny, I admit, I laughed pretty hard.

The case was actually tragic because the guy came home to find his wife and brother horizontal and buck. Because he left the room to grab the guitar it became premeditated murder instead of a crime of passion, and I think the guy ended up with 25 years in prison.

If he would have stayed in the room and grabbed the nearest object and beat them to death, he probably would have gotten manslaughter and a much lighter sentence.

My Dad recalled that there was a lot of sympathy for this guy by the jury, but there was nothing that they could do since it was pretty open and shut.

MolsonInBothHands · 07-17-2008, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Thats pretty funny, I admit, I laughed pretty hard.

The case was actually tragic because the guy came home to find his wife and brother horizontal and buck. Because he left the room to grab the guitar it became premeditated murder instead of a crime of passion, and I think the guy ended up with 25 years in prison.

If he would have stayed in the room and grabbed the nearest object and beat them to death, he probably would have gotten manslaughter and a much lighter sentence.

My Dad recalled that there was a lot of sympathy for this guy by the jury, but there was nothing that they could do since it was pretty open and shut.

There had to have been something else. My wife was on the case where the wife went to the other end of the house, retrieved her gun, came back, and shot the oil exec husband six times in the garage. The weird thing is he lived (must have been a bad shot) and testified in her favor at the trial. It was successfully argued she went into a disassociative state, and ended up getting hospital time instead of prison time. Perhaps she could just afford a better lawyer? It was weird seeing the wife get on the bus on the news as they were sequestered, and then not seeing or hearing from her for three days. My wife also read and watched news clips about the trial after it was over and laughed at how inaccurate media accounts of everything about the trial really were.

Resolute 14 · 07-17-2008, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonInBothHands

There had to have been something else. My wife was on the case where the wife went to the other end of the house, retrieved her gun, came back, and shot the oil exec husband six times in the garage. The weird thing is he lived (must have been a bad shot) and testified in her favor at the trial. It was successfully argued she went into a disassociative state, and ended up getting hospital time instead of prison time. Perhaps she could just afford a better lawyer? It was weird seeing the wife get on the bus on the news as they were sequestered, and then not seeing or hearing from her for three days. My wife also read and watched news clips about the trial after it was over and laughed at how inaccurate media accounts of everything about the trial really were.

There was.

In your case, the shooter was a woman.

In CC's dad's case, the killer was a man.

CaptainCrunch · 07-17-2008, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonInBothHands

There had to have been something else. My wife was on the case where the wife went to the other end of the house, retrieved her gun, came back, and shot the oil exec husband six times in the garage. The weird thing is he lived (must have been a bad shot) and testified in her favor at the trial. It was successfully argued she went into a disassociative state, and ended up getting hospital time instead of prison time. Perhaps she could just afford a better lawyer? It was weird seeing the wife get on the bus on the news as they were sequestered, and then not seeing or hearing from her for three days. My wife also read and watched news clips about the trial after it was over and laughed at how inaccurate media accounts of everything about the trial really were.

If I remember right, the prosecutor succesfully argued that in the time that the husband left the room to get the murder intrument he had time to step back and think about what he was about to do, so it went from a heat of the moment type thing to a planned event because he had to walk back with the guitar and basically plan who he was going to hit first etc.

Remember that back then, probably in the late 70's, there was no such thing as arguing dissociative disorders or zombie killing sprees. The P-Shrink probably talked to this guy for 10 minutes, tapped his knees with a hammer and said that he knew the difference between right and wrong and he remember the event.

fatso · 07-17-2008, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Thats pretty funny, I admit, I laughed pretty hard.

The case was actually tragic because the guy came home to find his wife and brother horizontal and buck. Because he left the room to grab the guitar it became premeditated murder instead of a crime of passion, and I think the guy ended up with 25 years in prison.

If he would have stayed in the room and grabbed the nearest object and beat them to death, he probably would have gotten manslaughter and a much lighter sentence.

My Dad recalled that there was a lot of sympathy for this guy by the jury, but there was nothing that they could do since it was pretty open and shut.

Ha, ya... sorry CC... I didn't mean to make light of the crime. Sounds pretty grim.

It's just when I read your description, all I could think of was the Honky Tonk man...

MolsonInBothHands · 07-17-2008, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

There was.

In your case, the shooter was a woman.

In CC's dad's case, the killer was a man.

The both the husband and the wife were alcoholics IRC, and the husband did admit to being abusive. There was only one man on the jury, and he was the hold out for the three days. We all gave my wife a very hard time for letting her off, but she said the judge's instructions before deliberation were so explicit, it was very hard to come to any other decision.

Teh_Bandwagoner · 07-17-2008, 10:51 AM

I was summoned once. But the selection occurred in the morning. I ended up sleeping in and walked in during the process of the selection. The bailiff told me to just leave....

Mickey76 · 07-17-2008, 11:39 AM

There had to have been something else. My wife was on the case where the wife went to the other end of the house, retrieved her gun, came back, and shot the oil exec husband six times in the garage. The weird thing is he lived (must have been a bad shot) and testified in her favor at the trial. It was successfully argued she went into a disassociative state, and ended up getting hospital time instead of prison time. Perhaps she could just afford a better lawyer? It was weird seeing the wife get on the bus on the news as they were sequestered, and then not seeing or hearing from her for three days. My wife also read and watched news clips about the trial after it was over and laughed at how inaccurate media accounts of everything about the trial really were. 07-17-2008 10:03 AM

One of the things that always surprised me about that trial was that there were never weapons charges brought against the wife. Usually in Canada the weapons charges are more serious than the actual crime (3 years for manslaughter and 10 years for illegal use of a firearm). If I remember correctly it was a handgun which is a restricted weapon so there would have been a large number of potential charges but I don't think she was charged with any.

onetwo_threefour · 07-17-2008, 12:58 PM

Okay we need to have a poll: Are you excluded/exempt or eligible for jury duty. Just for a lark.

I'm excluded. (another scumbag lawyer)

I was always under the impression that my spouse was excluded as well. It seems to me that spouses of lawyers and judges are also considered to be 'exculded persons' in practice, although not in law, because it is an offence for a person to speak to a lawyer about the case once empanelled. I believe they exclude spouses on thaat basis simply to avoid the appearance of impropriety. My wife was once called and answered that she was an excluded person on that basis. She was so mad that she wasn't allowed to do jury duy!

Finner · 07-18-2008, 11:22 AM

Wow! I just got jury duty summons today. It says the trial is expected to take 5 weeks, from 10-4:30 (maybe they all say that) . I wonder if my job pays for me to be a juror. Do most?

Jagger · 07-18-2008, 02:04 PM

I was summoned a few years back but I was the wrong nationality to serve. I've lived here long enough now so I really should change that situation. I've always liked the idea of serving on a jury. I want to be Juror #8 from 12 Angry Men. "Not Guilty" I tell ya!

I was my company's representative in a civil trial once which we ended up winning. That was a thrill to hear the verdict come back in our favour!

Captaincanada80 · 07-19-2008, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Thats pretty funny, I admit, I laughed pretty hard.

The case was actually tragic because the guy came home to find his wife and brother horizontal and buck. Because he left the room to grab the guitar it became premeditated murder instead of a crime of passion, and I think the guy ended up with 25 years in prison.

If he would have stayed in the room and grabbed the nearest object and beat them to death, he probably would have gotten manslaughter and a much lighter sentence.

My Dad recalled that there was a lot of sympathy for this guy by the jury, but there was nothing that they could do since it was pretty open and shut.

Sounds Like Shawshank Redemption all over again

OzSome · 07-19-2008, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teh_Bandwagoner

Maybe he's racist. You can't serve jury duty if you're racist either

Maybe he is the one on TRIAL!!

pope04 · 07-19-2008, 01:31 PM

I received the dreaded letter in the early nineties. I responded immediately by writing and let them know that I ran a small business and couldn't possibly serve without hardship. I got a call promptly and was told that my excuse was satisfactory. There was a sensational murder trial that started up shortly thereafter - for the life of me I can't remember which one - and I wondered if I would've been on that jury.