03-05-2015, 10:29 PM
Juror No. 17 who refused to vote for the death penalty was a stealth juror because she said she believed in the death penalty to get on the jury and then in deliberations told the jurors they were just trying to kill Arias for revenge. She never should have been allowed on the jury because she had followed the trial on Nancy Grace and watched the Lifetime Movie. She was a battered wife so maybe she had thoughts of killing her abuser and so she couldn't blame Arias. She told the jurors she felt Arias had the psychological makeup that prevented her from getting out of the relationship so she couldn't help what she did.
What shocked me was that the jurors told the judge about Juror 17 and she interviewed her and she apparently lied to the judge because she let her stay on.
Here's what Vinnie Politan had to say about the juror.
The "stealth" holdout juror demonstrates the imperfection of our system. If jurors are not completely honest it becomes a problem. The only filter in cases like this are the attorneys, who have to figure out who the jurors with an agenda are. But that task is virtually impossible.
Social media does make it somewhat easier, but our system is based upon the honesty of jurors. If they lie and the defense wins... We are stuck with the results.
What may be more troubling here was the juror's refusal take part in deliberations... This is a situation that can be remedied by the judge... However the removal of "holdout" jurors is a sensitive area. It takes a skilled jurist to understand and appreciate what is happening, and to be able to fix it.
While today was a day where justice was not done. This trial was not a complete loss. A killer did not walk free like in Orlando.
Our prayers today are for Travis to rest in peace and for his family to feel our love, so they can live the lives Travis wanted for them.
What shocked me was that the jurors told the judge about Juror 17 and she interviewed her and she apparently lied to the judge because she let her stay on.
Here's what Vinnie Politan had to say about the juror.
The "stealth" holdout juror demonstrates the imperfection of our system. If jurors are not completely honest it becomes a problem. The only filter in cases like this are the attorneys, who have to figure out who the jurors with an agenda are. But that task is virtually impossible.
Social media does make it somewhat easier, but our system is based upon the honesty of jurors. If they lie and the defense wins... We are stuck with the results.
What may be more troubling here was the juror's refusal take part in deliberations... This is a situation that can be remedied by the judge... However the removal of "holdout" jurors is a sensitive area. It takes a skilled jurist to understand and appreciate what is happening, and to be able to fix it.
While today was a day where justice was not done. This trial was not a complete loss. A killer did not walk free like in Orlando.
Our prayers today are for Travis to rest in peace and for his family to feel our love, so they can live the lives Travis wanted for them.