Zeek | Josh's Jury Duty

Josh Ring
Josh's Jury Duty

4. One of the defendants decided to testify on his own behalf. In Grand Jury proceedings, defendants don't have to testify. They usually don't. He came with his own attorney who sat next to him in front of the Grand Jury room as he made his statement. She is not allowed to participate in the proceedings. She had dark long curly hair and wore plastic glasses. She sat quietly next to her client and occasionally wrote something down on her legal pad. After the defendant's testimony, we took a break for lunch. After lunch, we would vote whether to indict this defendant or not. On my way down to the lobby, the elevator stopped on the 7th floor. The defendant's attorney walked into the elevator. I wasn't sure if she recognized me, but I think she realized that there were some of the grand jurors in the elevator. I saw her walk in, turn around to face the door, and stand perfectly still. She did not look around the elevator. Her lips were slightly puckered. Her cheeks were flexed. She looked very tense. I wanted to ask her how she thought it went. I imagined myself asking her with a big smile on my face and her smiling back at me, and we both would blush. I didn't ask her though. I knew she wasn't allowed to talk to me. When we got to the lobby, I watched her leave the elevator and the building. It was windy outside.

5. The Assistant District Attorney told us that she would be presenting a murder case to us. When she said that, I heard a gasp from the jurors. Up to that point, most of our cases were drug related or robbery charges. The ADA presented photographs of the crime scene. The photos were mostly close-ups of bullet shell casings on the ground with numbers indicating which shell it was. In the distance of one of the photos there was a small yellow shape. It was the tarp which the victim was wrapped in before he was taken to the morgue. One detective presented his sketch of the crime scene. It marked the different areas of the scene like the parking lot and playground, where the shells were found, and where the body was found. The ADA asked how he marked the body on the drawing. The detective said that he drew a body. "But it's not very good," he said with a smile on his face. Some jurors in the room laughed, too. After he left, I looked at the drawing more carefully. It showed a circle representing the head with two lines coming out of it. The lines were very crooked.

6. Two of the court reporters were very pretty. At times, I watched them type everything said in the court. They had to type very quickly. Sometimes, the court reporters looked at the ADA when he was talking so that they could hear him better. The ADAs always stood behind me while they asked witnesses questions. I think sometimes the court reporter looked at me for a second when they are watching the ADA. I didn't smile, though. I didn't want to distract her.