I don't know how much longer this video will be available online, but I did think it warranted some attention from this blog.
Greta's interview with Juror #3
Friday, July 8, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The benefit of sequestering a Jury
Casey Anthony is very fortunate that the Judge who presided over her trial had the wisdom to sequester the jury -- not just take jurors from a jury pool some distance from Casey's hometown, but to sequester that jury for the duration of the trial. If not for that, Casey Anthony would undoubtedly be en route to death row.
Unfortunately, Judge Delucchi didn't have Judge Perry's wisdom and common sense. Delucchi pretty much laughed off the need to sequester the jury on the pretense that they would have to be sequestered on Mars to do any good. And the DA's office had their dirty hands in the effort to not have the jury sequestered -- with pages and pages of hundreds of witnesses that it never intended to call -- oh, yes, in addition to the 175 or so it did call. The DA's office wanted to be sure the trial would seem to take so long that no one would want to serve on the jury if it was sequestered for that long. The only one I can think of that would have been eliminated for that reason was #8, the teamster, and with what we know of his shenanigans and manipulations during the trial, that would have been a good riddance.
Why sequester a jury? It's just common sense in a high-profile case that commands not only the print media but the airwaves as well. Oh, and let's not forget the Internet. Now, jurors can avoid googling the defendant's name on the Internet, but is it reasonable to expect that not a single juror has a home page that gives headlines of current national and local news? Such as Yahoo, Google, and other home pages thousands of people access every day to retrieve their emails. And how can jurors totally avoid radio announcements of news bulletins about the case -- must they NEVER listen to radio during the entire trial? Same for TV. And what about the newspapers on display at grocery store checkout lines? Or along the sidewalks in front of stores? What about family and friends that know the person is on the jury? Delucchi actually believed that giving the jurors a warning not to discuss the case, not to read or see or hear the news reports about it, would be faithfully, 100% obeyed. That's not naivety -- that's incompetence. That Delucchi laughed off the need to sequester the jury demonstrates more than anything else his incompetence to sit as a judge in a high-profile, capital murder case. Whatever virtue he brought to the bench during his many years of service certainly had vanished by the time he took over Scott's trial.
Surely no one that has followed the Anthony case can deny the immense emotional and financial investment the media has made in this case. Just look at the reactions -- Nancy Grace is beside herself. Just imagine, a jury had the audacity to not ask her opinion, but to make a determination based on the evidence as presented during the trial! What is the world coming to?
What would jurors have been exposed to had they not been sequestered? I didn't watch much of the news coverage -- I've long since lost the ability to stomach such incompetence and malfeasance passed on as "news" -- but I did catch one cable show about the case, and noted that a body language expert was explaining why George Anthony was telling the truth, and Casey Anthony was guilty. And of course, the derision has already begun -- the jurors called idiots who believe the earth is flat.
Let's not forget that in Scott's trial during jury deliberations, the media were so concerned that Scott would be acquitted, or have a hung jury, that they provided lengthy discussions on the evidence the jury didn't see, just to be sure America knew an acquittal or a hung jury was the WRONG verdict.
Sequestering a jury in a high-profile case is a NO-BRAINER. Can I say it any more plainly? How about, DUH!
Unfortunately, Judge Delucchi didn't have Judge Perry's wisdom and common sense. Delucchi pretty much laughed off the need to sequester the jury on the pretense that they would have to be sequestered on Mars to do any good. And the DA's office had their dirty hands in the effort to not have the jury sequestered -- with pages and pages of hundreds of witnesses that it never intended to call -- oh, yes, in addition to the 175 or so it did call. The DA's office wanted to be sure the trial would seem to take so long that no one would want to serve on the jury if it was sequestered for that long. The only one I can think of that would have been eliminated for that reason was #8, the teamster, and with what we know of his shenanigans and manipulations during the trial, that would have been a good riddance.
Why sequester a jury? It's just common sense in a high-profile case that commands not only the print media but the airwaves as well. Oh, and let's not forget the Internet. Now, jurors can avoid googling the defendant's name on the Internet, but is it reasonable to expect that not a single juror has a home page that gives headlines of current national and local news? Such as Yahoo, Google, and other home pages thousands of people access every day to retrieve their emails. And how can jurors totally avoid radio announcements of news bulletins about the case -- must they NEVER listen to radio during the entire trial? Same for TV. And what about the newspapers on display at grocery store checkout lines? Or along the sidewalks in front of stores? What about family and friends that know the person is on the jury? Delucchi actually believed that giving the jurors a warning not to discuss the case, not to read or see or hear the news reports about it, would be faithfully, 100% obeyed. That's not naivety -- that's incompetence. That Delucchi laughed off the need to sequester the jury demonstrates more than anything else his incompetence to sit as a judge in a high-profile, capital murder case. Whatever virtue he brought to the bench during his many years of service certainly had vanished by the time he took over Scott's trial.
Surely no one that has followed the Anthony case can deny the immense emotional and financial investment the media has made in this case. Just look at the reactions -- Nancy Grace is beside herself. Just imagine, a jury had the audacity to not ask her opinion, but to make a determination based on the evidence as presented during the trial! What is the world coming to?
What would jurors have been exposed to had they not been sequestered? I didn't watch much of the news coverage -- I've long since lost the ability to stomach such incompetence and malfeasance passed on as "news" -- but I did catch one cable show about the case, and noted that a body language expert was explaining why George Anthony was telling the truth, and Casey Anthony was guilty. And of course, the derision has already begun -- the jurors called idiots who believe the earth is flat.
Let's not forget that in Scott's trial during jury deliberations, the media were so concerned that Scott would be acquitted, or have a hung jury, that they provided lengthy discussions on the evidence the jury didn't see, just to be sure America knew an acquittal or a hung jury was the WRONG verdict.
Sequestering a jury in a high-profile case is a NO-BRAINER. Can I say it any more plainly? How about, DUH!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Ex-detective says he first suspected victim's boyfriend in Modesto murder
Yes, the relationship with the boyfriend was violent enough to suspect the boyfriend had something to do with Dena's disappearance. But, when a thorough investigation into said suspect produced NO evidence whatsoever, Bertalotto should have been smart enough to figure out that he needed to find a new suspect. Lucky for Mark Keough, Dena's disappearance didn't get the national spotlight, or else he would have been wrongfully convicted. Instead, Dena's case just went into the cold file storage, and Bertalotto advanced to being a detective for the DA's office.
http://www.modbee.com/2011/06/28/1752930/jones-trial-former-detective-says.html#storylink=omni_popular
http://www.modbee.com/2011/06/28/1752930/jones-trial-former-detective-says.html#storylink=omni_popular
Be sure to read the comments -- especially the ones that call for an immediate lynching. That's exactly what people would have done with Keough -- just took him to the nearest tree and strung him up, no matter that he wasn't guilty. It's because of people like this that our justice system sucks.
Oh, and don't overlook zitalian's post -- s/he wants to punish Jones's parents, too.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Some serious accusations against the Stanislaus County DAs office
The following link includes some serious accusations against Steve Jacobson, investigator for the DAs office. Jacobson was very involved in Scott Peterson's case, having handled the wiretaps and making the transcripts for the Amber calls.
http://followajfollowstanford.blogspot.com
http://followajfollowstanford.blogspot.com
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Filing Extension granted - New deadline is August 1, 2011
The email notification provision on the California Appellate Courts website does sometimes work. Just now I received this email notification:
PEOPLE v. PETERSON (SCOTT)
Case: S132449, Supreme Court of California
Date (YYYY-MM-DD): 2011-06-15
Event Description: Extension of time granted
Notes:
Appellant's request for relief from default is granted.
On application of appellant and good cause appearing, it is ordered that the time to serve and file appellant's opening brief is extended to and including August 1, 2011.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Another filing extension requested
We finally have information about the opening brief that was due to be filed on June 1.
I believe these requests are pretty liberally granted, so I don't expect the CASC to deny it. I assume it will be a standard 90-day extension.
| 06/09/2011 | Application for relief from default filed | and request for extension of time to file appellant's opening brief. (3rd request) |
I believe these requests are pretty liberally granted, so I don't expect the CASC to deny it. I assume it will be a standard 90-day extension.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Happy Mother's Day
Mother's Day is such a great opportunity to express our love for our own Mothers. It's also a day to reach out in compassion and empathy for those Mothers who suffer seemingly inconsolable grief for the loss of a child.
I've never been the victim of a violent crime, much less one that resulted in the death of a child or a wrongful conviction of a child. My heart goes out to both sets of Mothers.
It is my prayer that all Mothers grieving over the loss of a child through a violent crime, and all Mothers who grieve over the wrongful conviction of a child, will find comfort in the Grace of Jesus Christ.
And for all those Mothers who grieve over a child taking up a life of crime, may you also find comfort in the Grace of Jesus Christ.
When I first learned about Laci and Scott Peterson, they were strangers to me - total strangers. I had never been to Modesto and didn't know a single soul involved. The closest I came to a personal involvement in this case was that I knew who Gary Condit was, and that he was from Modesto CA. That's it.
There is one Mother in particular that I've had some occasion to observe from a distance, and that is Jackie Peterson. This Mother has been vilified and condemned by many people who have never spent a moment in her presence, but have judged her by false and misleading media reports and simply because they hated Scott so much that the logical conclusion was to hate his Mother just as much, if not more.
Jackie is not the woman portrayed on the forums and in the media. She's a very loving, caring, and strong woman. I found this Mother's poem online and I think it speaks directly to Jackie. Even though she is not my Mother, I have learned so much from her Christian example. Thanks, Jackie, for being a Christian.
The Fruit of the Spirit My mother is a Christian,
In every important way;
The fruit of the Holy Spirit
Is displayed in her every day.
My mother is filled with kindness,
With love and joy and peace;
Her patience and her goodness
Inspire, and never cease.
She follows our Lord Jesus
With faithfulness, and more;
She’s gentle and has self control,
She knows what prayer is for.
Thanks, Mom, for being a Christian,
And showing me how to be;
I’ll follow your example
For all eternity. By Joanna Fuchs
I've never been the victim of a violent crime, much less one that resulted in the death of a child or a wrongful conviction of a child. My heart goes out to both sets of Mothers.
It is my prayer that all Mothers grieving over the loss of a child through a violent crime, and all Mothers who grieve over the wrongful conviction of a child, will find comfort in the Grace of Jesus Christ.
And for all those Mothers who grieve over a child taking up a life of crime, may you also find comfort in the Grace of Jesus Christ.
When I first learned about Laci and Scott Peterson, they were strangers to me - total strangers. I had never been to Modesto and didn't know a single soul involved. The closest I came to a personal involvement in this case was that I knew who Gary Condit was, and that he was from Modesto CA. That's it.
There is one Mother in particular that I've had some occasion to observe from a distance, and that is Jackie Peterson. This Mother has been vilified and condemned by many people who have never spent a moment in her presence, but have judged her by false and misleading media reports and simply because they hated Scott so much that the logical conclusion was to hate his Mother just as much, if not more.
Jackie is not the woman portrayed on the forums and in the media. She's a very loving, caring, and strong woman. I found this Mother's poem online and I think it speaks directly to Jackie. Even though she is not my Mother, I have learned so much from her Christian example. Thanks, Jackie, for being a Christian.
In every important way;
The fruit of the Holy Spirit
Is displayed in her every day.
With love and joy and peace;
Her patience and her goodness
Inspire, and never cease.
With faithfulness, and more;
She’s gentle and has self control,
She knows what prayer is for.
And showing me how to be;
I’ll follow your example
For all eternity.
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