Juror now fears for her life...
By xfahctor
@xfahctor (14118)
Lancaster, New Hampshire
July 11, 2011 1:44pm CST
How the heck did we become this kind of country? I am of course talking about the Casey Anthony story. But, before I go any further, I am not here to discuss her guilt or innocence. A jury has already decided that and besides, it is not the scope of this thread. Any references to it will be reported for removal as off topic. So please, leave that stuff at the door. This is very specific to the reaction to the verdict and the frightening results and ramifications of that reaction.
To wit, I direct your attention to this story from MSNBC:
http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/10/7055601-the-miserable-postscript-for-a-casey-anthony-juror?GT1=43001
[i]"Her name remains a secret. She’s known simply as juror number 12. And while she has a certificate from Florida’s 9th Circuit, embossed with calligraphy thanking her for her duty as a member of the Casey Anthony jury, her life since being released from that duty has been one of cat and mouse.
A red-haired woman in her 60s who moved to Florida from Michigan, she told the court she worked at a Publix Grocery when she was questioned as a potential juror.
Now, she’s in hiding.
Juror number 12 left Florida. Her husband, fighting back tears, tells NBC News he’s not sure when she’ll return to her home in Florida.
Why? He says she fears half of her co-workers want her head on a platter.
The others may understand what she did, but she didn’t want to face them.
She was due to retire in the fall, but Juror number 12, after being released from sequestration, chose to call her boss to announce she couldn’t come to work. She didn’t feel safe.
She retired over the phone...."[/i]
(follow the link for the rest of the article)
Congratulations America. Is this what you wanted? A country in which a juror now must fear for their life over a difficult decision? When the heck did we become that kind of country?
Imagine the chilling effect this will have on our system of an impartial jury and due process. I suspect we will now see juries basing their decision more on their perception of public opinion rather than the evidence presented. Is this the kind of justice system you want? I have seen a lot of people complaining that they feel justice was not done and that somehow, our system failed. Is this what you consider a preferable alternative? Is that the kind of jury you want to face if you are ever accused of a crime?
[b]Again, please keep responses with in the scope of the discussion presented. I will report anything else as off topic. This is too important.
3 people like this
9 responses
@lilbabycatapillar (497)
• United States
11 Jul 11
I was talking about the Casey Anthony case with my significant other, who suffered from abuse for the first 17 years of his life. Nobody ever cared, or did anything about it. It's really not uncommon for children to be abused, and it almost never turns into such a nationwide phenomenon. I know the little girl was killed, but it's not something that people can take personally.
It's really not fair for this one case to be such a huge issue that people have to fear for their own lives over it. Instead of threatening Casey Anthony or the jurors or anyone else, people should be doing something in their own community against child abuse if they feel the need for justice.
@nenyalorien (899)
• Philippines
12 Jul 11
Do something in their own community against child abuse if they feel the need for justice: How true; I couldn't agree more.
What bothers me is that this is armchair vigilante-ism at its worst. :(
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
11 Jul 11
That's not right. Mob rule is beginning to take over in some areas and having it seep into the jury pool is frightening. Sure, this case was controversial because of the decision but the jury made their decision according to the facts and the law that they had to follow. If people don't like it, that's too bad. I'm sure they'd want such a jury if they were sitting at the defense table.
Why did they even describe her?! I'm glad I'm not a 60 something redhead! 
2 people like this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
11 Jul 11
If I am accused of a crime I would hope to get a jury who would examine all the evidence, take the time to question anything they did not understand and make it obvious they had examined every piece of evidence and had given a fair verdict. Then they could be proud of the jury service they had performed and would not not have to go into hiding because they were afraid and ashamed of their verdict.
No Juror should have to feel like the following:
Casey Anthony juror Jennifer Ford said that she and the other jurors cried and were "sick to our stomachs" after voting to acquit Casey Anthony of charges that she killed her 2-year-old daughter Caylee.
"I did not say she was innocent," said Ford, who had previously only been identified as juror No. 3. "I just said there was not enough evidence. If you cannot prove what the crime was, you cannot determine what the punishment should be."
http://abcnews.go.com/US/casey_anthony_trial/casey-anthony-juror-jury-sick-stomach-guilty-verdict/story?id=14005609
1 person likes this
@Sourceseeker (1197)
• United States
12 Jul 11
In alot of ways this is a country motivativated by fear and ego. The whole debacle about the debt ceiling standoff and conservatives not wishing to raise taxes is crazy and symbolizes the mood. People are willing to go to extreme to get what they want because they fear that life is changing from the world they knew.
This is the core of the issue.
Casey Anthony represents the fall of our moral society. She represents the failure of our society.
She is a girl from relative good priveledge with a mother and father at home who tried to give her a nice life.
Casey Anthony represents someone who abused the system by lying and alledgedly thumbing her nose at the system.
For many years, there were failures and abuses in the system. Ask African Americans who had to go up against all white juries to try to get justice.But across the world you can be sure this is the best sysstem of government and justice we can have. The furor over the Casey Anthony decision will die down and the jurors will gop back to their lives and they will be forgotten into lore but somewhere little Caley will be remembered and her legacy of what she could have become and the furor of the case will be remembered.
1 person likes this
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
13 Jul 11
She is one messed up in the head kid, to say the least. I'm not so sure about the family in general, or at least the father. But then again, I have never been in his shoes either so I am trying not to judge him.
What ever we feel about Casey, the bottom line is none of us know, or likely will ever know what happened. A jury looked at what was there and made a decision based on the case they were presented. Ironically enough, this was an example of the system working perfectly. And people are calling pretty much for what they call "reform" of the system. Seriously? The stripping of Casey Anthony's (and by proxy, everyone's) right to: due process, presumption of innocence, prosecutorial burden of proof, jury of your peers, no self incrimination, etc...are reforms? I hear North Korea has had a system for decades with such "reforms" already in place.
I have quoted Thomas Paine ("He who would secure his own liberty, must guard even his own enemy from oppression. For if he fails in this, he creates a precedent that will reach even unto himself" ) a lot in these threads because he says very eloquently what I was trying to say when I said "(and by proxy, our)" in reference to Casey Anthony's rights. Another way I found to put it in my own words is, The government you give great power to today, in order that they may use it against those you disagree with, can very easily become the government that disagrees with you tomorrow.
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
11 Jul 11
This reaction is very sad and completely disgusting. Regardless of whether you think Anthony was guilty or innocent, the jury already voted on it. They obviously had reason to think so. Done. It's over. If you want to be mad, be mad at her or the fact that there obviously wasn't enough concrete evidence to convince the jury. But why be mad at the jury? That's ridiculous, especially since no one volunteers to be in a jury, especially one like that.
I find it extremely sad that she says she would rather be in prison than on another jury like that. What is that saying for other potential jurors? I mean, jury duty isn't particularly anything fun and exciting to begin with and now you add in the extra threat to your life and security? Who the heck would want to be on jury duty anymore after that? It's not worth the threat to your family.
What Anthony did or didn't do has nothing at all to do with the jurors and holding them accountable is just absolutely stupid. Sorry to put it bluntly but, yes, this whole situation is just stupid and ridiculous and I feel sorry for the juror and her family who have to go through this. I can't imagine the stress level they're under either.
1 person likes this
@asyria51 (2861)
• United States
11 Jul 11
Serving on any kind of jury is hard. you have to set aside your bias and deliberate only on what was presented in court. It takes a strong person to do that. This juror should not be harassed and forced to leave her home and family to feel safe. If the public really feels that justice was not done, they should be knocking on the prosecutors door. it was the prosecutors job to make sure the jury did not have any doubt. They felt that the evidence was not strong enough and ruled to that effect.
1 person likes this
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
12 Jul 11
The jury did the only thing it could with the information they were given.
Early on in the trial it was obvious what was going on if people were honest with themselves and did not let their emotions take over.
To get a conviction there had to be "no reasonable doubt" of her guilt. The prosecution did not have a clear cut case with conclusive evidence. The prosecution itself was allowing the possibility of different scenarios. Then, the defense was throwing out other possible and plausable scenarios.
It was enough to allow the "reasonable doubt" into the equation; so, the jury did waht it had to do
When I told people at work in our lunch room that she would get off on the murder charges they were so vocal I just started not saying anything at all about that possibility. Some of them were actually threatening to go to FL and take matters into their own hands if she got off.
So, I definately understand why this juror feels threatened.
The entire problem with this trial is the media circus it was turned into. A woman was accused of murdering her child. This did not need to be turned into a huge media event. Some people were actually treating the case like a TV series. One woman was upset because she could not set her recorder up to record the proceedings like you could a regular TV show because it was NOT a show it was news.
The justice system itself worked the way it was supposed to work. The problem was letting the media in the courtroom and then their commentary that went on afterwards. The were definately pushing emotional buttons and this result is why juries are kept away from any and all forms of media while a court case is going on. Cases have to be determined on the facts presented; not, by who can tell teh best story.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
15 Jul 11
From the juror's point of view...it seems like a lose lose situation. If I was taken to court tomorrow for any crime...and the prosecution could not prove beyond a shadow of a doubt what crime I committed..then I would not want a jury that was afraid of the public's opinion or what they might "do" to them.
I watched an interview with a juror and they said the thing was that the prosecution did not present a particular crime...there were several crimes that was touched on..but nothing specific with evidence. That's why they couldn't come to a punishment...what crime were they punishing her for exactly?
Makes you scared to be a juror.
@ebuscat (5935)
• Philippines
12 Jul 11
For me don't think of fear but more you think just close your eyes and said a prayer to Jehovah God that he can cure your emotion and don't feel guilt in your self and happy with no fear try it.
