Since I remembered my jury date around 9/11/2001, I though I would share an article that appeared in Trentonian (Trenton daily newspaper) on 9/17/2001 under the title "Standing Alone." I am posting the full article below.
"
"He was completely deadlocked from the start. We tried for three and a half days to show him our argument, but there was no helping it. I don't even know if he knew what his position was in the end," said one juror, still annoyed days later.
The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for almost 20 hours over three days before Superior Court Judge Ira Kreizman declared a stalemate and dismissed the case without reaching a verdict on any major charges.
The ruling came after the jury foreman informed him that they were hopelessly "deadlocked," something that rarely happens except in movies.
But, as fellow jurors lamented later, it was only one stubborn juror who remained deadlocked, despite repeated attempts to show him the facts of the case.
The lone man insisted that DeLozier was in a state where he didn't know what he was doing.
"I kept wondering what he wanted. The guy had a knife. That was enough for me," said another member of the panel.
"He just wouldn't budge. I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinion."
While the men can now understand their fellow juror's persistence, both said emotions sometimes ran high in the room they came to dislike after days.
"We just kept going over everything, answering questions and explaining our feelings. A couple times, we even got a little loud but we kept that under control," the first juror said.
Despite the mistrial, the two said they wouldn't call the judicial experience, which lasted a month, a complete waste.
"If you would've talked to me Friday night, I was very frustrated. We were sent there to do a job, but now I realize it's all part of the system," the same man said.
DeLozier is sure to face that system again, according to Assistant Prosecutor Randolph Norris, who vowed to re-try attempted murder and related charges against the former lobbyist.
The 38-year-old was charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault for allegedly stabbing his wife, Michelle, as she was getting her hair done at a Lawrence salon in January 1999.
During the three weeks of testimony, the prosecution attempted to show that DeLozier planned to kill his wife and escape detection by disguising himself as a masked bandit.
While most of the jurors supported that argument, one clung to the defense's testimony from psychiatrists that claimed DeLozier suffered from a "psychotic episode" that he couldn't control.
"You've got to give him credit for sticking to what he believed was true. It may not have been pretty, but at least it's respectable," the second juror said."
"
Like a scene straight out of the movie, Twelve Angry Men one juror stood alone in his verdict during the trial of accused Ewing wife-stabber Gregory DeLozier.
But unlike the film, the man failed to sway the other 11 jurors to agree with him and instead frustrated them to the point where they would reconsider sitting on another panel.Advertisement  |
The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for almost 20 hours over three days before Superior Court Judge Ira Kreizman declared a stalemate and dismissed the case without reaching a verdict on any major charges.
The ruling came after the jury foreman informed him that they were hopelessly "deadlocked," something that rarely happens except in movies.
But, as fellow jurors lamented later, it was only one stubborn juror who remained deadlocked, despite repeated attempts to show him the facts of the case.
The lone man insisted that DeLozier was in a state where he didn't know what he was doing.
"I kept wondering what he wanted. The guy had a knife. That was enough for me," said another member of the panel.
"He just wouldn't budge. I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinion."
While the men can now understand their fellow juror's persistence, both said emotions sometimes ran high in the room they came to dislike after days.
"We just kept going over everything, answering questions and explaining our feelings. A couple times, we even got a little loud but we kept that under control," the first juror said.
Despite the mistrial, the two said they wouldn't call the judicial experience, which lasted a month, a complete waste.
"If you would've talked to me Friday night, I was very frustrated. We were sent there to do a job, but now I realize it's all part of the system," the same man said.
DeLozier is sure to face that system again, according to Assistant Prosecutor Randolph Norris, who vowed to re-try attempted murder and related charges against the former lobbyist.
The 38-year-old was charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault for allegedly stabbing his wife, Michelle, as she was getting her hair done at a Lawrence salon in January 1999.
During the three weeks of testimony, the prosecution attempted to show that DeLozier planned to kill his wife and escape detection by disguising himself as a masked bandit.
While most of the jurors supported that argument, one clung to the defense's testimony from psychiatrists that claimed DeLozier suffered from a "psychotic episode" that he couldn't control.
"You've got to give him credit for sticking to what he believed was true. It may not have been pretty, but at least it's respectable," the second juror said."
Comments