The final vote was three not guilty, nine guilty. We were a hung jury. The biggest surprise of all came from the judge after the trial was over. He asked us to wait in our holding room so he could speak with us. When he walked into the room he told us that the defendant was guilty, a gang member, and an already convicted murderer. I’m surprised they couldn’t tell us these things during the trial.
The feelings following jury duty like this are difficult to describe. Maybe a therapist would say it’s similar to post traumatic stress disorder, and I would too based on my feelings of remorse and anxiety and my preoccupation with the experience. The comfort comes in knowing that it was not all on me. There were eleven other responsible jurors. Hopefully the following twelve got it right.
