David Pruitt.com

It’s been a difficult week. On Monday at 8:20 a.m., I reported to the Denton County Courthouse on a Jury Summons. When I reported, I was put into a room with 305 other people. A women told us that out of 305 people called, they would need 279 to go on to further selection, but the 24 lucky individuals would be excused. A judge came forward and asked for the normal excemptions: college students, senior citizens, those caring for the invalid, etc. At that time, they took the remaining people and randomly drew to see which court each of us would be reporting to. There are 20 courts all over Denton County, so I had the possibility to drive as far as Sanger to report again on a Jury Summons.

Once selection was over, I was on the first list called. I was one of 56 people who would report to the third floor, the 367th District Court of Denton County. Lucky for me, I only had to go up one floor and report immediately for further selection. Some of the folks in the room would have to wait until 1:30p.m. and report to the Sanger court.

When I arrived on the third floor and waited for about 30 minutes were were all brought into the court, where the Voir Dire took place. This, I came to find out, was just law jargon for narrowing down of the jury pool. :) I sat on the front row, and didn’t really have a chance to speak. They asked us if we knew anyone who has been convicted of a felony, if anyone in our family had been killed, etc. I think I said three words during the whole selection process. The Voir Dire took about 5 hours. It was painful. Finally, when the dust settled, I was selected as one of the 12 jurors.

When we returned from lunch, the judge read the charge. The defendant was charged with the offense of murder in the first degree. There would be three parts to the case - the Voir Dire (which we already did), the trial to find guilt or innocence and the punishment phase. I didn’t know that Texas is one of very few states where the jury decides the sentence. The minimum punishment allowed in this case, if the defendant was found guilt, was probation. The maximum punishment was life in prison and a fine.

The judged jumped right in at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, and the state began with their opening statement. We spent the rest of Monday and Tuesday hearing the prosecution. On Wednesday, the defense began their case, and we deliberated on Wednesday at around 4:00 p.m. It took approximately 19 minutes for 12 of us to find the defendant guilt of murder. I was the foreman of the jury, so it was my job to deliver the verdict. On Thursday, we began the punishment stage of the case. It was a very emotional day as they called the mother and fiance of the victim. As well, they called the defendant’s mother, sister, etc. There was a lot of crying, but by the end of the day, both sides rested and closed and we were sent to deliberate again. This time, it took almost 30 minutes for us to return the verdict: Life in prison with a $5,000 fine. The convicted would have the opportunity for parole when he is 67 if he shows good behavior.

It was an emotionally draining week. Between the crime screen photos, autopsy photos, crime scene teams’ testimony, testimony of a Texas Ranger who is an expert in blood splatter and the forensic pathologists, I now know more than I would ever need to know about what research is done to find out what really happens on a murder scene. It was gruesome, and I hope I never have to go through that again.

I hope your week faired better.