Juries and Irrational Stigmas

Currently Watching: Body of Evidence

Currently Reading: Beyond Infinity by Gregory Benford

Currently Listening to: Cantara by Dead can Dance

I hope I never get accused of anything serious, such as murder or rape (haha), and not because of the normal (and rather obvious) reasons. I really don't want to be judged by a jury of my peers. My peers are idiots.

I watched an episode of American Justice covering the case of David Dowaliby, one of the most famous American child-murder cases next to the JonBenét Ramsey mystery, certainly one of te mose famous in Chicago. For those who don't know much about the case here's a little summary: Seven year old Jaclyn Dowaliby was reported missing after her parents had woken up and found she had vanished. It was assumed that she had been abducted, the main suspects being Jaclyn's biological father and the schizophrenic uncle (Rob.) However, both had an alibi. Jaclyn's father was in prison at the time (pretty solid alibi XD) and the uncle had been somewhere (I don't know the details.) Therefore, the police started pursueing the possibility that the parents had done it. Four days after she had been reported missing they discovered her highly decayed body with a rope wrapped around her neck. The police charged David and Cynthia Dowaliby (Stepfather and biological mother) of first degree murder. The trial was a freak show from the start. The only witness they had against the pair was a man with a history of mental illness saying he had seen a person with David's nose-structure near the site where Jaclyn's body was later found on the night of her disappearence. Of course, the witness saw this person in a parking lot from a great distance on a moonless night without any streetlights. Pretty shakey. The prosecution showed gruesome photographs of Jaclyn's decomposed body to the jury, claiming they revealed something of signifigance to evidence (which everyone knew was bullshit,) obviously attempting to influence them. The real madness went on after the jury began contemplating the David's fate. The forewoman told journalists that the jury's decision was greatly based on a photograph of the Dowaliby bedroom where large dents could be seen on the door, assuming from the marks that the household was a violent one and that David had a terrible temper. The dents were not pointed out by the prosecution or the defense and were of no signifigance at all. They had been there before the Dowaliby family had moved in.

Guilty, not guilty? Think of human stupidity and guess which one they selected. Luckily, David's conviction was reversed and all murder charges brought against him were dropped two years later.

That jury didn't sound like a very intelligent lot to me, especially the forewoman. Many juries seem like they didn't happen to get the cream of the crop if you know what I mean. America has a general population of some incredibly judgemental, vengeful people, at least the way I view it. We deserve the title. Our death penality sentences are through the roof and I swear to God when I watch these crime shows my father is always putting on the juries will sometimes convict a man very harshly with very little evidence brought against him. Innocent 'til prooven guilty is bullshit and we all know it, especially in cases that involve sexual assault or molestation. Once you are accused, even if its just some bitchy teenager who didn't like that her teacher was failing her and the case is cropped immediately, that accusation will always be there hovering around them like a disease, and people will treat them like the plague (that's not to sa no one has been let off when they should have been convicted). Look at the Duke Lacross case! They had nothing against them except for the word of the dancer (whose partner even said she was full of it) and the mindless prosecutor (asshole Nifong) talking about how their DNA was all over the bathroom. Well, gee, imagine that...IT WAS THEIR BATHROOM. Yet we won't convict O.J Simpson, who had evidence against him piled up as high as a trash heap in a landfill? Guess he was lucky to have practically decapitated his ex in L.A where the police have a history of being abusive, racist idiots who can't not tamper with evidence. I swear to God, the L.A.P.D fucks up everything. Any microscopic shred of doubt I might have had that Simpson had gotten away with murder went poof as soon as I heard about that If I did it book. I hope that bastard drops dead.

People eat that shit up until it blows back up in their faces because people don't seem to possess the (what must be pathetically called) skill to think about evidence (or lack thereof) that is placed in front of them. I could have basically told you about what is going on in Iraq right now when the war first started but people have no form of foresight anymore (perhaps they never did.)

People are fucking stupid.