WOW! It Was Really November

Now that I take a moment to notice, I really did stop blogging after November 2008. I thought I carried-on throughout March, but that wasn't the case.

One thing of interest the family also says I'm preoccupied with is my service in January on a first degree murder trial. Yes, however, the death penalty was not an option in this murder case. Here's the deal: I've been called to jury duty every 18 months like clockwork since we moved to Florida. Dwain, on the other hand, has only been called to serve ONCE. Previously, I had never made it through the voir dire process so I never got to serve on an actual jury. Not this time.

I was asked one question by the defense and then to my surprise was actually selected. We served for five days and part of the last night deliberating.

The defendants looked just like any other men., except perhaps for the dreads. Not all that many dreads nowadays, right? Other than that, all American looking men. Turns out, they went after a man trying to buy drugs in the wee hours in the McLaren Circle area of Kissimmee. They shot the fellow to death. The defendants didn't testify on their own behalf and the prosecution witnesses all but recanted the terrible stories they told the Grand Jury. It's amazing the amount of memory loss that occurred between the Grand Jury testimony and trial. It was an epidemic. Mostly the prosecution read directly for GJ testimony and the witnesses couldn't remember saying that or seeing or doing anything to that effect. Frankly, I think they had been intimated by the defendants and their cohorts still on the streets. (Everyone had gang names. Some of those were rather entertaining.)

We found them guilty on all counts. In addition to murder, the charges included assault with firearms, kidnapping, attempted robbery, etc. charges. They were sentenced to life in prison.

After the trial was over I drove past the crime scene a couple of times. Life goes on there. Selling drugs, sad, hopeless people, with a few old folks trapped in a neighborhood of people they don't want to know. I was witness to details I had only seen on TV and in films. It's still with me.