Feeling Relieved
When I finished jury duty, the other jury panel was still deliberating over the verdict for the shooter. There was always a chance that he might be found not guilty, even though our guy (the driver) was convicted.
Although I understand the reasons for keeping the trials separate this way, it bothered all of the jurors that this possibility even existed. We felt like if the driver was convicted, clearly the shooter should be held responsible as well. Inversely, if the person who actually fired the gun was found not guilty, how could we in good conscience convict the driver?
The LA Superior Court keeps an online index of convictions, which you can search for about $5 a pop. I gave it a few weeks for the information to make it in there, and performed my search this afternoon.
I was hugely relieved to see that the shooter was convicted; in fact, on the same day that we finished our deliberations. I suspect it would have gnawed at me for a long time if I saw “acquitted” on the screen.
Good. I’ve lost some faith in our justice system, so it’s nice to hear that at least some bad guys get what’s coming to them.
Comment by Sam Daly — 3/23/2006 @ 4:13 pm