Juror blamed for Bessman Okafor mistrial sentenced to 179 days in jail
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- Опубликовано: 13 янв 2024
- The juror blamed for causing a mistrial in the resentencing of convicted killer Bessman Okafor was sentenced to over 100 days in jail by a judge.
FULL STORY: www.clickorlando.com/news/loc...
FULL STORY: www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2024/01/04/juror-blamed-for-bessman-okafor-mistrial-tells-judge-she-lied-to-get-out-of-service/
I have a handicapped elderly mother. I am the sole caretaker, and sole wage earner im my house. I was summoned for jury duty, and coupdnt be excused at all, at first. Finally, in front of the judge and attornies, i explained the whole situation to them all. I had paperwork, paychecks, doctors notes explaining my mom's handicap. The attorneys were complaining that i could afford to hire someone. So i showed them how much it would cost us. Oh my god so much whinging and complaining. Finally, i just told the judge that because of their lack of compassion, lack of intelligence, and even common sense, i was prejudiced against both of them. Judge mutter "so am I." And excused me, apologizing for wasted time. Good man, that judge.
A lawyer is about the last person who gets to tell anyone whether they "can afford" anything.
You should have told them that you're a big fan of jury nullification
Why would you go to jury duty in the first place?
@TheOpenSociety777 that is risky. If the courts wants they can issue you a fine.
@@ssgus3682No, they cannot lol Are you 13?
I understand her frustration about the job thing especially if she lives paycheque to paycheque, but this was literally the last day of the trial. It made no sense for her to lie and cause a mistrial over something that was gonna end the next day. Now she’s gonna miss 179 days of work and have to find a new job because they probably will fire her if they haven’t already. Her actions were beyond stupid.
This is exactly what I was thinking
Its Florida - stupid is a way of life.
She may not even be able to get a job now because she has a criminal record now
what was the lie she told?
@@ScreamingEagleFTW she said that she talked about the case with her friends to cause a mistrial, which she didn’t
What I learned from this: The “justice” system works quickly when the justice system itself is the victim, and real victims can wait and wait and wait some more.
exactly
Just like perps get caught quick when they attack a cop.
With people on the streets of NYC getting sucker punched... not so fast.
Like the man that’s been waiting for 10 years to go to trial was a mistrial now they sent him to jail to trial him again
when the crime happens in the court or the judge holds you in contempt its pretty quick.
Oh. B*******
The employer, that's threatening to fire her for doing her duty to her country's justice system is the one who should be in jail
NOBODY has said that her employer threatened to fire her you dunce.
Nobody was going to fire her you uninformed and uneducated clown.
I think the courts should compensate jurors their pay that they are missing. It’s not an honor to be a juror its a hardship for most ppl.
I thought courts DID pay people? It's not much, but I swear either a court or employer still provided compensation of some kind. I could be wrong, but I thought that was a federal law or something.
It's not supposed to a honor. It is your duty to serve as a citizen. When called to serve you suck it up and do your civic duty.
@@nickl6641 Jurors get paid something like 20 bucks a day. Insane!
@@carbonking53 duty lol.. well they definitely imprinted that on you, that's for sure.
@@carbonking53 What makes it their duty though? Why can the state force someone to do anything against their will, especially when this is causing major financial hardships? What happened to individual liberty?
FYI If you're planning to commit a crime that might land you in jail, don't tell everybody about it before you do it.
Lol!!
Some people in jail call jail a vacation from the real world. Idk why. But this lady would rather be in jail than work for you lol. Yall don't know what its like to be broke and alone and stupid. Lols. Fr tho the majority of the population are not, not special.
As a Captive Jury member do not negotiate with Terrorists, take the L and move on.
Especially people who has not hint of loyalty toward you at all.
Got jury duty notices twice before. Just had to call the court and they dismissed me before jury selection even started.
Imagine having a pissed off person who isn't getting compensated for their role, being in charge of weather you are guilty or innocent. They basically already mad at you because they are there
What was thebtitle of that movie? "Twelve angry men"?
The government should replace lost pay for jurors.
For many, a smaller paycheck could result in an eviction. Which could mean homelessness.
Keep this same energy for politicians that violate court proceedings...
If you have the right connections.
Gym Jordan
@DonaldTrunk23 jordan is the worst, he heard a little bit getting clapped in the gym and did nothing.
Like Fani and Loverboi? 😂😂
or cops that lie in police reports and court testimony
Imagine having a person with low emotional intelligence having to decide in a criminal trial.
She wasn't even on board for the death penalty. She would have dragged this out until the foreman told the judge they jury couldn't come to an agreement and had a mistrial. To be fair, she should have been filtered out by the prosecution. The defense wanted her because they probably felt like she wouldn't agree to the death penalty.
Lol emotional intelligence isn't something that can be measured, it's just a feminist oxymoron. That women is immature af
Thats why we dont have a true democracy, and instead have electorates.
Well it is called a juror of your peers for a reason. The defendant is only getting someone who is one of his peers, literally in intellect and morally. It wouldn’t be a jury of Okafors peers if they were Mensa members.
@@evos469 wrong. Emotional or intellectual disability/impairment is very real. In fact, you proved it with your dumb af statement. I feel sry for you. Are you female? smh go read a book.
My uncle once got selected for jury duty and he didn't want to do it, so he simply said he's a racist and he got dismissed.
Was that your uncle Ruckus? What a legend!!
@@purpleprinc3 nah Ruckus would fight tooth and nail to sit on the jury bench, with a noose tied around his wrist waiting for the final hearing
@@env0x Actually that's much more accurate 🤣
Good for your racist uncle, but this wouldn’t have worked for her, she was already selected!
My grandma did the same thing saying she always goes with the cops no matter what.
I will never serve on a jury. The United States penal system is the worst in the world. I have no say who is right or wrong. I’m a citizen that wants to be left alone.
I wonder if her job will be there for her after her 179 days in jail?
top comment
With the laws protecting people, I mean losers these days, she probably will get her job back.
@@IceLynne
You the loser.. she got more punishment than female school teachers touching kids..
Can't help but notice she is non-white..
Why put a little girl in that situation
And now more people will seek to avoid jury duty.
😂😂😂 exactly! Let her sit in the mess she made and come home to nothing.
States need to pay serving jurors more than the established goodwill payments. At least pay jurors their normal wages if their employer doesn’t have jury duty leave. People are working and just getting by. No excuse for what she did but our jury system needs a major overhaul.
I think you can just tell them you can't afford to do it
Doesn't matter!! You have any idea how many times that excuse is used..@@Raider2Pac
@@Raider2Pac You can. I did it. I was out of there in a couple of hours because I couldn't afford to miss work. That's why they call literally hundreds of potential jurors.
Here in Philadelphia, litigants must pay jurors after 3 days of litigation (civil cases only.) So they settle fast. But that still doesn’t settle the criminal case issue.
At least 100 a day. I live pay check to paycheck so if I miss 2 days of work I’m screwed . Unfortunately I’m apart of the rat race
It is pretty bizarre to me that this juror is basically expected to pay out of pocket to participate in the trial. How can someone focus on the case if they are at risk of losing their job and home? I don't know the solution, but this is not justice.
They won’t lose their job, they’ll just miss out on their normal salary.
Lets keep this same energy for officers that don't show up to court, or when charges get dropped day of court.
During jury selection I was involved in, one young man told the Judge he was dumb and wouldn't understand many fancy words that would be used in the trial. He was dismissed lol
or straight up tell the judge, you're racist and you don't like certain races. Don't mention the races. lol
180 days from now when she's done with her sentence she still wont understand what she did wrong or feel any responsibility for it at all.
The penalty is not high enough for this behavior.
Another ignorant person. Bet she is a democratic voter
@@carl-cr7rp You've are clueless. she will fired from her job if she doesn't work for 180 days. If her employer was forcing her to work midnight shift while she was on jury duty that means was doing at least 15 hours a day plus travel time. Does she have enough money to pay her rent for six months??? Will her landlord throw all her belongings in the street if she can't pay the rent. There are a lot of middle class people making comments here that have never worked low paying jobs and had little or no money in the bank.
@@davidfrayne9769 so we're all bad because we properly planned our lives and MAYBE she didn't? How do you know she works a crappy job? I think you just wanted an opportunity to call someone clueless cause it makes you feel smart.
@@davidfrayne9769Working class people serve on juries all the time. On the first form they ask if there would be a financial hardship and ask if you can prove it. Also there are laws protecting members of the jury from employers who would get in the way of serving. So everything you said is bull. She deserves harsh punishment.
When most judges and police are responsible for messing up a trual, shouldn't they also get jail time?
Another reason jury system should be abolish. You can't put someone' life in the hand of people that don't want to be there and most people do not want to be there.
There will be more justice if you sentenced people people based on the crime instead of what 12+1 people feels that day.
I've been called to jury duty five times and served in a criminal and civil trial. During one of the selection phases, a self-employed painter flat-out said he didn't want to be there. The judge asked him why several times, and he said he could not. The judge excused him. Once, I was about to be selected for a murder trial where a POS killed his ex-girlfriend's kid as an act of revenge. The court person said it would be at least two weeks. I had paid plans for a vacation. I got out of it because I genuinely knew of the crime and some details and told the court I knew he was guilty. I got dismissed.
I've been to jury duty 5 times each time I told I'm a CONVICTED FELON WHAT YOY SAY I WAS GRANTED CLEMENCY I TOKD THEM YOU PEOPLE ARREST ME FOR CRIMES YOU KNOW I DIDNT COMMIT SO YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR SNITCH YOU SEE I WAS NEVER ALLOWED TO FACE MY ACCUSER WHY DUE PROCESS SAYS I HAVE THE RIGHT BUT THE POLICE DIDNT HAVE ACCUSER THEY HAD A RELIABLE SOURCE MY MOM HAD A LITTLE BIRDIE RELIABLE SOURCE LITTLE BIRDIE DOESNT EVEN SOUND THE SAME WITH THE R.S. &L.B. THEY NEED FEED INFO WHICH CAN NIT BE CONTESTED IN COURT OF LAW THE R.S. HE SMUGGLES DRUGS THRU THE USCG AND HIM AND HIS ARE ALLIW TO R PE R B M R DER BECAUSE THE POLICE NEED THEIR R. S.
"...a POS"? You have no business serving on any jury.
@@broeheemed32
Yup. Anyone who murders a child is a major league POS. You think otherwise? If so, kinda says something about you.
@@broeheemed32and he didn’t. Many people have a bias of some sort and this person did the right thing in saying he couldn’t serve.
Internet poisoned fool.@@broeheemed32
When a large segment of the population can't afford to be on a jury, do we really get a jury of our peers?
Purposely causing a mistrial is disgusting and selfish behavior. I understand the pains of missing work and income (I’ve also served as a juror and missed many days of work without compensation) but how can you deny a murder victim’s family justice? Missing income should be handled between you, the court, and your job. How can you drag the victim’s family into it?
The system we live in where everyone except the jurors get fair compensation.
Cry cry babies
You can agree that what she did was stupid and also acknowledge that jury duty can place a financial burden on people that are living paycheck to paycheck. I mean....maybe YOU can't, but most people can. @@user-td3yv6wb7y
In Mass, we get $50 per day; in CA it's $15.
Wait. You think the lawyers are fairly compensated? $500+/hr to stand in a room and talk, and irrespective of the outcome, they get paid.
The fair compensation is that you also get a jury of your peers if you are charged with a crime.
Imagine a juror or jurors this incompetent serving on the jury for your trial when you are innocent. Couldn't imagine putting my life in someone like this person's hands
This is a trial for determining the punishment. He was already found guilty of murder. This is to determine if he gets the max punishment or not
@@sjtiernan5841 True, I wasn't really referring to this case in particular tho. Just in general that these kinds of people are out there and any of them could end up deciding your fate not caring at all about the consequences
But that's the thing about jurors, though: they're not supposed to be competent. They're supposed to be ordinary half random people who are supposed to be your peers and not people that work in the legal system and know it's inner workings.
ruined my life as a kid all on a judge... they forced me to drop out of school. thats already a red flag..
@@BologneyT and thats why the jury system is trash lmao. Way too many cases of morons making things worse because they don't know how the world works.
No need to swear her in. You can't believe a word she says.
I mean I get it, but it's so that they can back themselves up with a case of oerjury if she lies again lol.
You can believe it. There's no consequences for young people anymore. You can't get thrown out of school for anything less than a murder. Any felonies are sealed when they turn 18. Unless they respect their parents there's nothing legally stopping them from anything so it's a shell shock when they turn adult and suddenly EVERYTHING is holding them accountable.
When racists think they are slick lol, there's a thing called perception that yall conservatives don't have.
@@XTYTX The meaning is different. When used in court, it means to take solemn oath.
"Justice" is such a malleable concept in America.
Justice is an opinion no matter where you are in the world.
It's scary that your fate can be decided by a jury with people like this woman who don't seem to have very good thinking skills.
Well, I guess she’s going to miss work now and possibly get fired.
they already fired her
She will get another one
It’s rich that they probably gave her a hard time then “fired her” to save face. Employer’s should be forced to cover the wages of jury members.
She's definitely fired lol. She can get a job at popeyes like her friends.
She's already fired Bozo!
Growing up in Baltimore, my parents would get jury duty once a year. He was a banker so he would show up in a three piece suit and never get picked. After a few years of this, he started showing up in khaki's and a polo and not even shave and he always got picked for a case.
My mom had to do jury duty in Baltimore. She’s lives 40 minutes form B-More, but it was a special circumstance.
Shows how superficial we are as people. Looking for simple, external indicators for what kind of juror a person would make.
@@LaCheeserie Facts, some of the biggest criminals in the States wear suits
Jurors of your peers a banker is not my peer my peers is the guy drinking a beer I front of the corner store 😊
@@redciroc1211The no-brain subhumаn, then. Is that who you want to decide who's guilty?
She was forced into jury duty when she couldn't 't afford it. Now things are worse. Great work judge, ruining someone 's life over this.
You're an Imbecile.
Being a juror is also a major inconvenience. Many states dont have quality coverage for people forced to be a juror. The money you get does not replace your job and can leave you unable to pay your bills. There is almost always a loophole getting your work out of paying and youre only paid for time in court when you do get paid work wages. Even if you work 40 plys hoyrs, you may only get paid 8. The hours of pay lost by not being able to work are not covered by the state. Its why many people try to get themselves disbarred. This needs to be fixed.
Sitting on a jury . . .IS YOUR CIVIC DUTY . . .being inconvenienced or not.
@@MedOKC That doesnt change the reality of what it does to your ability to pay rent man. People are living paycheck to paycheck. Jury duty is 4 hours a day on minimum wage (varies by state) for however long the trial lasts. Youre no longer working 8- 12 hour shifts for your job(s). Youre doing jury duty. That doesnt translate to bills paid. And if youre single, you dont get to excuse on being the only one paying bills because you dont have any dependents. Im all for civic duty but when mostof us are barely surviving working multiple jobs just to survive, its not that simple.
stop forcing low-income citizens to serve jury duty
That’s not the problem they should make tax paying businesses pay jury duty leave for jurors
@@mikes6853
No, the government should pay it. It isn't the employer's fault.
Absolutely absurd you just said that. It’s like you missed that juries are “peers” which means citizens deserve working class people on the jury too! Isn’t enough of this world decided by the wealthy elites? Smh! I agree goodwill payments for wage compensation should come from tax dollars.
you'd rather have trial by those who can AFFORD to pass judgment on you?
@@mikes6853They do. They pay taxes, which pays the jurors.
She was too immature for that responsibility
It's not a responsibility anyone should want especially when you're not being compensated you bootlick mf whine about taxes but allow the government to use them under the guides of "civil duty"
Jurors should probably be paid the average of what the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney are paid.
jury duty is garbage- you want people that want to be there? - pay jurors 20 bucks an hour PERIOD
That's it? Lol
A lot of people are mistaken about jury duty and how easy it is to get out of it. I was on a federal jury, juror #11. By the time they got to me, the defense had used up all of their peremptory challenges (where they don't have to give a reason to strike a juror from the pool). We had hundreds of jurors in the pool btw, to get 16 (12 plus 4 alternates). Well, they were so helpless to remove jurors that #12, sitting right next to me, was a retired state trooper! They went berserk, but they could not get him off the case. Meanwhile, this was going to be a long case and I went to the judge's chambers to try to get excused and no dice. Nothing I said moved the judge. So I sucked it up and did it, for six weeks. Luckily, my job paid me. This was a federal case, as I said. State rules may vary, but the feds are serious.
@carly4513 Are you serious?
@@Matthew-Anthony
She sounded serious to me. Which part implied otherwise to you?
@@jimwertherIt could be exaggerated.
It’s TERRIBLE that you can’t pay rent bc you’re on a jury!
I actually would love to be a juror. Even though I'm a retired LEO I think I would do an excellent job as I conducted felony investigations for 23 years. I would be hell on both the testimony evidence, the conduct of the LEOs, and the collection/preservation of the physical evidence. I've been in two jury pools but both juries were selected before getting to me.
I have been summoned for jury duty twice. The first time was a Court Martial, and I was on active duty so it didn't affect my pay. The second tome was for a criminal court. The amount I got paid for the day just about covered the cost of driving downtown and parking. I wasn't picked for a jury, so I was only there for one day, and though my employer didn't pay me for it, I think I covered it with a vacation day or the paid tome off we could use for illness, medical appointments, weddings, funerals and such. The thing that irritated me the most was the the IRS taxed it as income. Bastards!
And unfortunately Biden recently hired 87,000 new IRS agents with your money to harass its citizens.
I have never been called for jury duty and to be honest never expect to be on a jury if called. Why?
I'm ex-military, grew up conservative, worked in state level prisons, and at a mental health hospital that treats and examines people being evaluated for their mental status so they can possibly face a trial for brutal crimes. In short I've seen all the games the guilty play. More than once.
So either the defense or the prosecutor is going to thank me for my time and dismiss me. If the defendant has more than a reasonable chance of having committed the crime I will know it. if the prosecution is trying to pull some shenanigans I'll see through that crap too. I am not the guy our jacked up justice system wants on a jury.
@@superdave8248 I get it, Dave, you know too much therefore you could refute a prosecutor's argument. I'm was dismissed from a murder trial jury pool for knowing which end of a pistol is dangerous.
I was called for jury duty once on a murder trial. Luckily I didn't get picked (I wrote a lot of stuff on the form to make it seem like I was not emotionally fit or mature enough to sit a jury), but was there for over six hours while they selected the jury. They only paid me 20 dollars for six hours of my time.
@@roadking99jokerst60 So it is true then, the US jury system wants stupid people.
179 days. That judge is a complete bum.
She tried to avoid jury duty because of work, but now she will not worry about work anymore because she will be in jail. Genius!
yeah and after 180 days in jail work won't be there for her. sucks but she did it too herself.
Or she just wanted to make sure her coethnic wasn’t abused by the systemic racism of the law? 🤔
@@palepride7530 Yea, blind tribalism, never a good idea....🙄🙄🙄🙄
@@RTMcFly-ni4qy blind? Qui?
@@palepride7530 What is confusing? My comment was pretty straightforward. Que no entiendes?
Stay out of trouble folks, stay away from even the first hint of possible legal trouble, look at these people that are on juries. No clue what they may do when your life is in their hands.
It's why you never take a jury trial.
That's actually a very good, and frightening, point.
Judge alone trials can be bought and paid for....if you know what I mean.
great reporting all, thank u.
Yet another reason to never do jury duty. People should donate money to this poor girl. They should have never selected her.
You can give almost ANY reason or excuse at the beginning and even the middle of trial to get out of jury duty. The judge asks you again and again if there’s ANY reason whatsoever you can’t do it including financial concerns. DAs especially don’t like jurors selected who don’t want to do it or who can’t do it so they put in a lot of hard work and effort into ensuring the jurors who are selected aren’t a mistrial risk. Someone in the comments called juror duty “enslavement” which is LAUGHABLE. Anyone who has been a juror knows how easy it is to get out of it. Say one wrong thing, and you’re not selected. Murder trials are especially strict during the selection process. If this is “enslavement” how else are jurors supposed to be selected? The RUclips comment attorneys say jury duty is wrong but fail to propose an alternative. Should they take volunteers instead? You don’t see the issue with that?! Some of you have zero critical thinking skills. This woman INTENTIONALLY derailed this trial and her entitlement and lies costed the court to lose over a million dollars, countless witnesses wasted and over 500 hours of time wasted as well. And that’s JUST including trial hours not the work and hundreds of hours and paperwork done outside of court. Also, the chance of acquittal and opportunity for the defended to plead out goes up substantially after mistrials. This woman has caused so much irreparable damage with her lies.
The problem in this case is that from the beginning of the trial through the guilt phase, the jury wasn’t sequestered. This juror was able to go home each afternoon and still work night shift.
Then the judge sequestered the jury at the beginning of the penalty phase. That created the conflict for the juror. The conflict didn’t exist when this juror was selected.
@@cc99556I understand what you’re saying but let’s say, for instance, that this woman felt that she was forced to continue as a juror… she still INTENTIONALLY caused a mistrial and committed perjury. She would have been better off not showing up at all than lying on record and intentionally causing a mistrial. Had she just stayed home and refused to attend, this story probably would not have even made it to the news. The judge would’ve probably just given her probation or thrown her in a jail for a couple days for neglecting her duty. But instead, she intentionally derailed the case. That’s entitlement and selfishnesses on a whole other level. Even if I did agree that it’s difficult to get out of jury duty (which I don’t), I still believe intentionally causing a mistrial should be a jailable offense. A million dollars and over 500 hours of trial down the toilet because she lied. A lot of moving pieces have to come together for a murder trial to happen and all that time was wasted because she intentionally brought the case to an abrupt end.
@@StefunnyStrangeIf she did not show up for jury duty, the Judge would put out a warrant for her arrest; she could have gotten more than 179 days. What she did was egregious to our justice system; she planned this probably from the start of the case. She deserves more then 179 days in jail what she did was. unacceptable. The murders should not be getting several appeals or trials for over 12 years he should get the same treatment he gave his victim.
@StefunnyStrange, Actually it is very difficult to get excused from jury duty. Unless you have a serious medical condition and you bring a note from your doctor proving your inability to serve, you will not be excused. Financial hardship is almost never accepted as a reason to be excused.
1. There is typically a limit to how many jurors each side of a case can strike from the jury pool. 2. Being forced to work for someone else without renumeration (involuntary servitude) is the entire essence of slavery. Jurors should receive just compensation for lost wages. The financial impact on a juror must be properly considered. For instance, I have 9 employees to pay besides myself plus business overhead if I'm put on a jury--all with zero income or a below minimum wage stipend from a court. I would love to serve on a jury, but it would be a violation of the unjust takings clause to the constitution to not provide just compensation.
She KNEW what she was doing and those tears are for herself, not her actions!
Or this defendant got to her. He is on trial for killing a witness.
Why would they be for somebody else. She was tired of being there but she ain't the killer.
@@TLR1988 WHO said she was the killer!? Who you calling a fool?
@@iffyangel3380 I shouldn't have called you a fool but I was saying you're acting like she was supposed to be crying for somebody else when the trial was over. They could've investigated what she did further and got an alternate juror or went without instead another sentence trial.
I'm legitimately not even mad about this, why are you even so butthurt and up in your feelings?
What a joke. The judge doesn't care that jurors will starve, get evicted and go bankrupt, but don't make him actually do his job. If the government cared about jury duty they would pay the jurors at least minimum wage. The judge didn't lose any days pay. This is pathetic abuse of power by the judge and the legal system.
Should be a federal crime
The American "Legal System" is not about justice. It is about billable hours for the lawyers.
Agreed
Normally I would agree, however this shines A spotlight on a problem many Cheers jurors face. Not everyone can afford to take time off. Not that I am excusing what she did. She definitely deserves jail time for what she did. It is terrible what the family has had to endure. No loving family deserves that.
I agree with you 100%.
Laws are written by lawyers so lawyers can take more money.
I'm skimming through these comments and FINALLY someone says something intelligent.
To be fair, the way we do juries in the US with so little pay, especially for people, living paycheck to paycheck, it gets rough. You could reasonably lose thousands of dollars by being on a jury, and there’s very little you can do about it. It makes no sense, and I can totally understand not only her frustration, but her anxiety over not being able to pay her basic bills.
Yes it's ironic that a judge making a six-figure salary would sentence a low income worker to jail for not wanting to sit in court all day for free.
@@jondoe406 Maybe we should take away judge salaries entirely if they want force people to work for free. If they can sentence a jury of 12 people to receiving no money and taking away their freedom, then they don't get to collect a paycheck IMO
@@jondoe406it's ironic that the judge was participating in the enforcement of laws and consequences for violating those laws? Too many weak, emotional people think society should instantaneously accommodate their every inconvenience. Jury duty is a civic responsibility that's necessary for our democracy and employers are not allowed to fire you or withhold pay while you are at jury duty.
@@youtubecommentsectiondebates does that judge have a civic duty too? How many days does he work for free? I'll bet ZERO.
Jobs can't fire you for jury duty, but they don't pay you either. If she's already check to check, the $12/day the court pays her is nothing. All putting her in jail does is make sure even fewer people respond to the summons next time.
@@jondoe406 In this instance, the judge's duty is to do their job and not take into account sentimental notions of hardships. If the process of jury selection needs tweaking, it's up to the legislature to amend that. Judges can't choose to ignore their job because they feel people may have difficulties. And its people's job to uphold their civic duty. If you want a democracy with a trial system that utilizes a jury of peers, then this is what it takes. People at times have to contribute to the society they live in, even if it is inconvenient. You don't get to enjoy the freedoms of democracy and the rights to a jury of peers without contributing at times.
Absolutely no benefit towards becoming a juror, pathetic
It should be illegal for a company to refuse jury duty compensation
It should be illegal for jury duty to affect your employment, but if the justice system requires your services, they can pay you for it. It’s all well and good for a large corporation to be forced to pay your wages, but if you run a small business and you have to pay one of your few employees and hire a replacement, possibly for weeks, that’ll put a serious dent in your ledger.
I have worked in courtrooms in.Florida for almost 42 years now. When I first started, jurors were summoned through voters registration pool; then they changed it to driver's licenses. They need to go back to the voters registration system where you know that the pool will consist of civic-minded people. Just my two cents, for what it's worth.
There it is. You hit the nail on the head. If you are not registered to vote, you should not be on a jury as you have proven you are not concerned with your community if you do not vote.
That would be good too but they should just pay the jurors their wage plus a small bonus 5% . The bonus would compensate for the fact that some employers will ding you for being absent even for jury duty
@@jaad9848 Employers are mandated to pay the employee's salary in full while they're on jury duty; but if I recall, that's only for one week. Most cases don't go for more than a week, which is good; however, if you get stuck on a long one, all the juror gets is a daily stipend and I absolutely don't recall how much that is, I want to say somewhere around 15 dollars a day, which isn't great.
@@lmb1962 That is false.
@@lunchbox1553 No, it's not. You are wrong, wrong, wrong. I know, I was there, I live in Florida, I am still here and that's the way it was and that's the way it is. I still work in the court system. Go back to mom's basement and play with your X Box.
Imagine having people work and not paying them for it. Why dont we pay jurors?
Huh, you do get paid. But it is a very, very small amount that is equal to a value meal. But it doesn't replace the possible wages that you make daily.
your job is required to pay you while on Jury Duty. If you don't have a job, you do get paid a small amount. And if you can't afford it, you're usually excused.
@@JamesWilliams-st4bp minimum wage or lower is not enough for the trouble it causes.
@@DavidAWA That is not true. It is a State-by-State issue and company policy issue. If you happen to be at a good company and THEY CAN AFFORD to pay you for your time away, GREAT! That would be a privilege and not an entitlement or right. It goes to their bottom line.
Some commenters were saying that they used their vacation time to cover their time away. And the excuse that you can't afford it doesn't fly anymore because people have been abusing the system to dodge serving on a jury.
@@whitewolfsthoughts700 That is true but that is how the regulations/rules are written. We The People have procedures in place to effect a change in the systems. You can always get like-minded individuals together and get your state legislators to change the system.
I did jury duty last year and was given 8 dollars and I make 20 an hour working 16 hour shifts so I missed that whole day. Not worth it
Thank you for saying it's not worth it. The Constitution does not require an unpaid or uncompensated jury yet the idea that a jury must not be compensated or must be given the bare minimum or per mile or per diem has taken hold. This judge earns $191,163.00 a year or approximately $735 a day yet these jurors would have received $30 a day (at most) for their time. The Constitution simply says "an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed." There is no basis for a jury not being paid the same or comparable compensation to the judges or others involved in the trial. There is no reason, for example for Florida to compensate employed jurors $30 a day and unemployed/self-employed jurors $15 a day. We shouldn't expect employers to pay employees for time away from work for jury service and there are a lot of ethical issues that this could cause.
Accountability...I'm sure it hurts, but it's certainly deserved. Happy that the judge recognized it for what it was and delivered justice.
I hope she doesn't have children because I hate to see homeless children living in little tents on city sidewalks.
That's not justice!
Agree!
@@raymealesmiley_theeunderes8033yes it is
@raymealesmiley_theeunderes8033 you must be a stereotypical criminal with no accountability
If a person tells you they dont want to be a juror... Let them leave. Now you have a mistrial on your hands trying to force civic duty out of people who arent in a position to serve.. Everypne is upset because they want someone to get the needle.. But i look at it differently.. How many jurors moved to convict an innocent person simply because "they didnt wanna be there" or "couldnt afford to miss work"? The court system needs a drastic overhaul
I hear you but play it out logically. Imagine EVERYBODY declined to be a juror. Now you can't have a trial and the defendant doesn't get his right to a trial by his peers. If you REQUIRE the right to a fair trial, then, unfortunately, you must also REQUIRE people to be jurors. I guess you just have to accept that IF you want to live here and get those rights, then you MUST also be part of others getting the same rights.
@@user-nh3gu1ge3d he didn't say we should stop requiring people to serve on juries, but the way we do it now causes problems. ripping people out of their lives and forcing them to serve on a jury without just compensation is going to make the jurors unfair, and you can't have a fair trial with an unfair jury.
Another good reason to abolish the death penalty. Simply can't trust the system to decide on that.
No one wants to be juror but it’s your civic duty.
@@flowersforme375 I personally know people who want to be on jury's they envision it as their law and order moments there are absolutely people who want to do it. Courts should focus on those people at the very least should allow a person who does not want to be there the option to leave.
Gotta blame the courts for not just letting her off the jury before.
How! The trial was over. She created a mistrial out of spite on the last day. It was not going to get her back to work any faster.
@@1retiredknight she was not part of the trial that convicted him, just a resentencing
@@fakename1656 It is still a part of the trial process, thus the declaration of a "mistrial" and not a "missentencing".
@@1retiredknight it was a resentencing trial. That means it was separate and after the trial that found him guilty. All it did was delay the sentencing further, it didn't make him not guilty criminally
@@fakename1656 I never said it changed the verdict. She still forced a mistrial wasting the time of the court and the other jurors as well as further delaying the permanent removal of a dangerous criminal from society. She did all of that out of spite at the end of her jury obligation.
Wow! So she did all that so she wouldn't miss work, now she will probably lose that job. I wonder if they will allow her to serve 179 days on her off days, like they do for people convicted of DUI.
The issue is not this particular juror, it's with a system that requires citizens to participate in societal duties but obviously does not create the conditions under which such duty can be reasonably carried out. In this case, the juror's employer should be held accountable, not the juror.
Thank you, YOUR HONOR.
179 days and you're saying thank you!!!? 🤡🙄🧐
When in doubt play the "I'm stupid card." In this case she proved it by her actions.
She could've simply googled: How to get away from jury duty.
I was on jury duty last week for a DUI trial. Guess what, the 16 jurors picked and 1 alternate juror, the defense attorney said "this is the most talkative jury I ever had in the past 18 years!" =. Each juror picked each had an excuse to try to get out of jury duty. 3 were dismissed. One lady said she was on call for surgery at any time, another said she was a nurse and dealt with drunk patients, another guy said he already served on a jury four years ago, two people said "my family members are cops", "my brother died in a drunk driving accident", two people said they were civil lawyers, and another person said they had a medical condition where they have to go to the bathroom every two hours (he was not excused). I was in the juror pool and did not get picked during my time.
Damn! 😂 I'm in Florida. A good portion were excused because of "language barrier". I know to use that next time because your SOL if you're financially responsible for everything and don't make much. Missing a week or more of pay is a back breaker.
The gov needs to pay people the wage they make at their job, if any. But even though that doesn’t happen, people need to step up and be good citizens. This country has a severe lack of citizenship.
Your memory is exceptional.
Well, they did promise him a jury of his peers. Our prisons and streets are filled with the ignorant, self-centered, and impulsive. Well-deserved wake-up call. So sorry for the family.
Maybe the well deserved wakeup call is when they can't fill juries. Maybe then they'll finally pay them properly.
Courts never put the most intelligent people on juries. They'd rarely get convictions. They need dumb ignorant people who don't understand the laws and courts. Duh. They thrive on it.
Its florida for criminals by criminals - the entire state of idiots is his peers.
In Australia jurors can receive compensation for lost salaries if needed - however it’s usually people who are self employed who need it. If you work for someone they have to keep paying your normal salary (and it doesn’t affect entitlements such as sick leave and holidays) and they can’t sack you.
Not in America this is a capitalist society. They’ll rather let you starve to death instead of helping you they only care about rich people here…..
@@courtykat Uh, I've never had a US job that doesn't pay me jury duty time. I get paid normally but I have to sign over any payment from the court, so it's not double-dipping. If you're hourly at Wal-Mart that's not a thing, but every good employer, or union job, or governmental job pays.
In a bitter twist, she will not be paid by her employer while she's in jail.
Now she knows - the”I didn’t know” excuse is lame for an adult.
I am in Australia. I served on a jury and my employer paid me my normal wages. The Department of Justice reimbursed my employer the cost of the wages. The employer and/or juror should not have to pay for citizens to perform there civil duties.
That's a nice setup. I'm in the US, and I don't know if ANY courts do that. One court (20 years ago) I was aware that jurors were paid $15 a day for their service. But if you wanted your check, you had to sit and wait a couple hours until the clerk had time to write them. Or you could opt to donate it to the dog shelter and leave right away.
@@tequilacollins Wow, if I lived in the states you can guarantee I would find a way out of jury service. Being a juror may be a literal duty but something the US forgets far too often is that when you have a duty to your country your country equally has a duty towards you. Expecting a juror to not only sit in court for most of the day but then to jump through hoops if they want to be paid for it is akin to sending men and women to war and then discarding them and their broken bodies or minds once they are back home.
@@krashd sadly I think some of the laws in regards to compensation were written a long time ago when $15 was something decent and hasn't followed inflation and it never gets changed. 60 years ago that would have been fine but now it barely covers the cost of a fast food meal for 1.
Their*
@@krashd Yeah, I grew up when social studies was a thing. So, I am aware that jury duty IS A PUBLIC AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. A great man said, "Ask what you can do for your country, not what your country can do for you!" Serving on a jury is the very least that you can do for your country, and for your community. It is citizens judging other citizens for their actions and holding them accountable. Yeah, it is a pain like going to the dentist, but it is a necessary pain.
Why do i get the feeling if the man on trial was not a POC and the victim was a POC she wouldnt have done it?
12 years to get to this point. How ca you blame a juror? This is a problem with Florida's judicial system
As a potential jurist, during voir dire you have numerous opportunities to tell the court why you can't serve. After sitting through the entire trial, there's no reason to blow up everything at the end.
Jury Duty is a stupid system that should be abolished anyways.
@@damuffin91 lmfao yeah cause you're sooo smart and know what's a better way. right.
@@energygoeswhereattentionflows ive seen way too many cases of braindead jurors ruining peoples lives due to moronic logic. Like actual murder cases being butchered and having innocent people get found guilty.
This is exactly what i was thinking. Like why did she wait till the day of sentencing to rage quit? She could have told them she wasnt able to serve the first day she got there and that would have been the end of it
Attorneys do NOT always accept a potential juror's reasons for not being able to serve on a trial. I have seen them or their consultants try to intimidate people into serving on a jury if they think the juror will be sympathetic to their cause. Even seasoned older people can't figure out how to avoid serving even when, in cases like this, livelihood (job, housing, etc.) is threatened by being on the jury. This was a case of immaturity, not evil.
Working and not getting compensated, even a little bit, for jury duty is wild though. What the hell?
I'm not sure that's even a thing, in the US anyway. Jury duty doesn't pay much, but there's a flat per day rate. You don't get to collect it if your work covers jury duty, but when that happens you generally get base pay from your employer. If the trial goes longer that could be a real difficult situation but in all the jury selections I've been a part of for long duration trials, they always stack the people with 3 or 5 days at the bottom and fill it with retirees and city workers who get paid no matter what.
Jurors don't even get paid minimum wage, which should be illegal
And that jury is biased as it is not random and cross-sectional all-the-way.@@crepitus3552
I NEVER BEEN ON JURY DUTY WITHOUT SOME COMPENSATION
As Long as Supreme Court Currupt, I wouldn't waste my time as juror, In any corrupt court in America.
Easy way to stop this is to compensate jurors. Being a juror is absolutely a hardship on working people.
This is scary because you have someone like her deciding life and death! Think about that! This young woman, with so little emotional intelligence, empathy, intelligence and care, is charged with listening, discerning and deciding the fate of a killer! She's so incredibly immature! The trial was literally ending the next day! If she had a financial issue, she could have asked to be excused prior to this. This is a person who wouldn't decide based on the merits of the case, but would decide based on her desire to get out of jury duty. She lacks the intelligence to understand the consequences of her actions! Think about her response. She literally risked jail time because she wanted off of the jury, but didn't think she would get jail time by causing a full mistrial! She just cost the state so much money and the family of the victim so much grief! I'm glad this young woman got jail time for this because people need to get the message loud and clear that you can't intentionally cause a mistrial in a very serious case. I would be so horrified to create a situation where a murderer could possibly go free! Thank goodness this is just for the sentencing phase and not the actual case.
Make the world so that people can afford to not worry about living if they have to take off work, boomer.
There were times when I received a summons and I was not financially in a position where I could afford to be away from my job (did not pay for jury duty). Each time I was able to get an exemption from the court before going or on the first day.
you can just say I can't go because if i do i wont make rent this month on what is it 25 cents an hour as a juror, we have every right to refuse to being a juror at that pay rate.. we are broke enough as it is
We are lucky other people did there duty even if it was not convienent for some.
All court don’t do that. They really should pay jurors something
@@ciscobriones5904 You can say that (if they even ask you), but in lots of jurisdictions, that won't get you out of serving. Where I live, "financial hardship" is not one of the excuses on the excuse-from-service questionaire, and I have also not heard that question asked during voir dire.
@@vegas9440I have had Jury duty, where I got nothing and had to pay for parking and then submit it to the court to get paid for it after the last day of trial (3 weeks). People crying about something most people do once every couple of years - its sad, I bet most waste more money on stupid stuff.
Every judge every officer of a court house talks about their job to their family, friends & reporters But if she had a lawyer of her own from that town and who knew that judge charges would be dropped for this is legalized organized crime mind your damn business
What prosecutor in their right mind selects an 18 year old for a jury? On a MURDER trial no less.
solution to the problem...Dont force people to do a jury if they dont want to dummies.
All you have to do is tell them what a hardship it would be for you to not work while on jury duty. Most will let you go without serving on the jury.
@@Chooge
Many courts are so desperate, they don't care what your problems are. And very few people can afford weeks unpaid.
She should have told the court & lawyers at jury selection about her financial/work situation and they would have thanked her & excuses her from serving
How do you know that she did not inform the court about her financial/work situation? It is unlikely that she would have been excused because of her work situation. Unless you have a serious health condition and bring a note from your doctor that says you are unable to serve, you will not be excused from jury duty.
@@Kirby467-sk2hs I don’t know, but the reason why the Court excuses potential jurors with personal issues is so they can avoid this very situation… if she told them and they still put her on the jury they wanted this to happen…
@@ThePriam3
Courts are desperate to fill jury pools because no one wants to be on one. The legal system made its own problem.
@@Kirby467-sk2hs There's a financial hardship form you can fill out when you get the first summons. If you know how to read it's a pretty simple process.
Not in the sentencing phase , there's no way she'd have been excused. She probably knew that, she should have just stuck it out.
Something isn't right. Jury duty without proper compensation from the judicial system & employers has NEVER been addressed nationwide. Jury Duty doesn't consider possibility of tips, overtime, commissions or bonuses. NO one should be forced to serve on a jury if they can't afford it.
justice is the woman being paid for her time .... screw the court
All Americans should be committed to justice.
Jesus, just wriggle out of jury duty BEFORE it starts like the rest of us!
She should have not been sentenced to the maximum for being overwhelmed by her financial loss. This judge has no common sense or a heart.
She took it serious, YALL DIDNT TAKE HER SERIOUS.
This woman should have been screened out of jury duty from the beginning, it sounds like she just didn't have the constitution to sit through a public trial of this magnitude, and the stress of being trapped in a situation which she could not process kept building up until she had a mental breakdown.
So much for her having a job after that. It’s terrible what she did to the murdered guy’s family.
The murdered guys family never cared anything about her. She didn’t want to be there, she should’ve been dismissed.
Terrible of the state to put her in that position terrible of the family putting vengeance over the needs of others. If a person says they dont want to be a juror, let them leave..
Could be she was threatened. This is a case for murdering a witness, so…
@@MrReganomics1they’d never be able to form a jury if they did that.
I would do the same thing, I will never serve on a jury. My time is far more important than justice for any person or any family.
How in the world did she not get out of jury duty in the first place!
Just want till the civil suits come against her. She will know what "overwhelmed" really feels like.
“There was no intention of causing any harm. And there was no ill will from my end.” Glad you put no thought into any repercussions for your selfish actions. You still have to pay! I hope she loses the job she claimed was so important, that the family had to suffer again and cost the rest of the jurors money and time with their families. She was given multiple opportunities to opt out of jury duty. So selfish and disrespectful!
She thinks only of herself. No thought of the victim's family, etc and no thought of her civil duty
An employer can't fire you for jury duty, but they sure will fire you for missing 179 days of work because you were in jail! I actually worked at a company where an employee was in jail for three months after beating his wife. He had the nerve to come back to work the day after he was released, as if nothing had happened. Not the shift manager, but the *OWNER* of the company came out to tell him to get off the property or he would be arrested for trespassing!
Your so brave and tough and smart and cool
What opportunities to opt out of jury duty? They threaten you with jail, fines and tell you they'll send deputies out to arrest you and bring you into a courtroom to explain why you missed jury duty.
Jury duty as it is today is not at all compatible with the reality of trying to survive in this hellscape society. We have to work or we go homeless. Period.
Victim complex, low iq, and a lack of accountability is strong with these people
Why has nobody asked her employer why they don't compensate for jury duty? Blame the individual, not the system... Jurors only get paid (depending on state and case) $5-$25 a DAY, not hour. Jurors should be compensated at federal minimum wage with overtime for any time over 8 hours a day, and double time in the event of sequestering.
This is when, "Well, I'm gonna do what I want to get my way," meets reality!
Well at least she has 3 hots and a cot for the next 179 days, expense free. I don't know whether she has children to care for and apparently the state (or judge) doesn't care.
Now you got a criminal record
Jury duty is important. It's good that the court is sending a message that this isn't a joke ... the stakes are high and real lives are in the balance.
Yes but putting people on a jury who will not be impartial is a recipe for disaster
The courts have no tolerance for the hardship jury duty may cause. Everyone gets paid for their time except the jurors No one should make money being a juror but no one should lose money either. Poor girl was a hostage at that point…
A scary thought that we put a defendants life in the hands of 12 hostages.
Facts. Whether it's me on trial for something I didn't do or a dangerous criminal who needs to be locked away to protect the public, I do not want jurors who are under any kind of external pressure whatsoever.
If the next ten years of my life are hanging in the balance, I don't want that decision made by someone who's constantly distracted, thinking about how jury duty is gonna harm their ability to feed their family and keep a roof over their heads.
Picture the scenario where a juror feels they need to go back over two dozen statements in order to fully understand them and make a fair decision - but they know it would add another three days of deliberations. However, if they get back to work _tomorrow_ they'll still earn enough to make rent this month, but if this goes on until Friday their family's gonna be on the street come March 1st.
If I had to choose between allowing my wife and kids to come to harm, and sending some random guy I never met to jail based off of _"Eh, he looks the sort, even if he really didn't do_ this _he's bound to have done_ something _so I vote guilty, and can someone validate my parking please?"_ I can't promise I'd do the right thing every time...
Finally! Someone else in the comments has sense. It costs some people $100's to miss a day of work. Their absence affects their co-workers, clients, patients, deadlines, etc. You have NO control over how long a trial will take and in private industry, your employer is not required to pay you. How would you fair if you missed three to four weeks of work while still having to pay for child care, rent, car, food, etc? Maybe some of the insensitive jerks in the comment section should volunteer to be held hostage in a jury pool.
What gets me is just how much power a judge has over you when you are in their court room. You step into a room with a Judge, and the atmosphere is just weird and almost cultish. They make you stand, raise your hand, swear on stuff and put you in the mindset of subservience. Jury duty is a burden, and the courts do not respect the time of their jurors at all.
Most employers do not compensate properly for it and if you are required to serve, good luck keeping your job if you aren't salaried in any way. Last time i was called they gave me $7.38 for 2 days. I don't know a better way to do it, but the process is completely tedious.
I've had jury duty a few times, and each time, I was severely underpaid, but the fact is that jurors are paid based on how much voters are willing to increase the amount. Until we all vote to increase juror payments, the courts have no power to take larger amounts from the budget. The issue is that most people do not care about increasing juror payments until they themselves become a juror.
The whole jury system is ridiculous to start with. Would be better off with a panel of 5 judges who call witnesses and ask the questions. Lawyers for the defense and prosecution there only to provide counsel and offer objections on behalf of the state/client.
The current system is a popularity contest adjudicated by a panel of slack jawed yokels.
What if we do away with the jury system altogether...bench trials are way better
so she will now be going to jail because she couldnt afford to not work? -- what a pos judge that is
I think 99.99% of jurors talk to family members about a case they are on.
Indeed. How are you not going to talk about it?
Exactly does this woman look dangerous to anyone? Why is she being locked in a cage? Why lock humans in cages at all?
I didn't say a word to anyone about the case when I was on jury duty. The only thing my family knew as that I was actually on a jury. And they could figure out from the newspaper WHICH trial I was on. I didn't say anything until it was over.
So you dont believe murderers should be in jail?@@Greg-yu4ij
@@Greg-yu4ijbecause some of them are animals and don't belong walking amongst the public.
I hope that young lady learns something from this. When I was younger and I received jury duty letters I always checked the box saying I simply could not afford to take any time off from work. Never had an issue, pretty sure they don't want jurors on a case who are thinking about not being able to pay rent the whole time and not focusing on the case at hand. She really did a disservice to that poor family and I would assume lost her job as well.
They don't allow you to do that. I have been working for thirty years and never had that option. You can get a letter excusing you for medical reasons from your doctor.
@@aleathacoleman6413 I live in California and have gotten out of Jury duty every single time by filling out the paperwork claiming financial hardship. So, I don't know about where you live but I have gone 20+ years. Never had to step foot in a courthouse.
@@colinlarson9656 Same here. Just explained that the trial was scheduled at critically busy time of year for my profession. Was excused twice, so yes it is allowed in some jurisdictions.
Well. Each state is different in many ways.
I'm younger so I've only been summond once but they didn't give me an option for finacial hardship here in Pennsylvania. I think it varys state to state.