Thursday
May122011
A Snail's Pace
Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 8:01PM Jury selection is moving at the same pace as a race between a tortoise and a snail.
Hurry on over to Orlando Magazine and take your time reading my latest post…
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THANK YOU!
Dave Knechel | tagged Jury, Voir Dire | in Ann E. Finnell, Ann Finnell, Capital Punishment, Casey Anthony, Caylee Anthony, Cheney Mason, Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Dave Knechel, David B. Knechel, David Knechel, Dorothy Clay Sims, Frank George, Human Interest, Jeff Ashton, Jose Baez, Linda Drane Burdick, Marinade Dave, Marinade Dave Knechel, Marinade Dave’s Caylee Anthony Posts, Orlando Magazine, Pinellas County, State Attorney's Office, marinadedave | Share Article 
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Reader Comments (10)
So much attention on mitigation will make the potential Jurors think she is guilty even if they no little of the evidence.....Thanks for the write up Dave....
Thank you, ecossie.
Judge Perry reminded the jurors that they can't use this information later on, during the guilt phase, by instructing them to ignore it. How can they? I don't know, but he will say the same thing when he instructs them at the beginning of the trial.
There's a software glitch with Orlando magazine's host. It's not the magazine's fault, but it's not accepting any comments, including mine. Hopefully, the problem will be fixed tomorrow. As soon as it is, I will let you know.
Dave, I have been trying to post this but it keeps telling me "form valadation did not pass". Do you know what this may mean?
Thank you Dave for writing this amazing article about the voir dire process. I was so amazed by how long the process was. I thought they would just be asked a few questions in a few for each side and that was it. I have to admit that I thought some of Jose questions were the same question just asked in a different way. It was almost like they were witness' instead of possible jurors. But this is a capital murder case like no other with the death penalty. But as you said Judge Perry is meticulous and does not want this case to be appealed. I was hoping the trial would start next week, but maybe the week after. I thought it was quite sweet the way Judge Perry kept apologizing to all of them for the very long wait and to say that it was all his fault, he had anticipated that it would take "this long" and it did not. I am glad that both sides have gotten some kind of rhythm going and it is taking a lot less time.
Casey is driving me nuts with all the hair pulling, the fingers in her mouth, the constantly pulling on her shirt and anything else to make her not sit still. The crying and laughing really needs to stop. I really think the attorneys better tell her she really needs to show some kind of sadness when they talk about Caylee, all she does is sit there and not do anything when they talk about that sweet baby.
I look forward to your articles, you just shine in all of them. I knew you were working on one and I am so glad it came out tonight, thank you. Stay well dear Dave, this is only the beginning of one incredible journey to Justice for Caylee
Hi Peggy - There was a big problem with the magazine's site, but it is working fine today.
This whole jury process is also a lesson in patience, but it is a person's life in the balance, so yes, Judge Perry is very meticulous.
One thing about Casey is the impression she gives potential jurors. She hasn't looked at any of them and she's disconnected. She needs to act more human, but I don't think it's in her. That's going to be a problem during the actual trial.
Thank you for looking forward to my articles. You are very kind. Yes, this is one incredible journey and I'm thankful we are all a part of it. I look forward to continuing right up to the end.
I will do my best to stay well. Thanks for your concern.
Dave, I tried to respond to Beast at OM... so here goes... if he reads here....
Beast, I may be wrong here and apologize if I am. I believe the victim statements are separate from the aggrevating circumstances that the state will present. The statements will not be weighed in as evidence in the penalty phase so they should be ignored. I am not sure who will be presenting the victim statements but it would be someone who loved Caylee very much, possibly Jesse or Richard Grund comes to mind.
Thanks, Snoopy. The site seems to be OK today (fingers crossed).
Dave,
No luck on the OM site for me, unfortunately I didn't copy it , so I can only post a new comment here.
I loved your post tonight , and agree JP is so full of wisdom, and well versed in case law. I like how he is always prepared, and anticipates the upcoming strategy from both sides. I have been able to focus on the actual court proceedings this week instead of my usual one sided opinion of guilty. I was so sure after the OJ verdict anyone could beat murder, but now JP has renewed my faith in the system. He is fair to all and seeks the best possible justice under our American system. I can not imagine how hard it is to ride both sides of the fence without ridicule from the public, but he is managing to perform his duty with little complaints from the press who is so critical. Bravo for Judge Perry! He is real and not seeking fame or fortune from this "case of the new century" as other judges have shown in the past when confronted with a popular trial viewed by the world.
He is just perry-real as opposed to surreal! I really like his style!
I find the process fascinating as I watch each day and learn how the process of a death penalty trial works when it's conducted with sincere care for the law instead posturing for the press. JP does not care, and that is so refreshing to watch. He is trustworthy of this girls life and if she is convicted of murdering her child we all know it will be done with fairness. I don't want anyone to be unfairly convicted of murder, but I do want justice to be served for those who kill innocent babies, so if Casey is found guilty I can rest assured without doubt she murdered her child and deserves whatever punishment she gets. Life in prison, or death by lethal injection. On the other hand,
not guilty then I might have to rethink my whole perspective on this newfound faith in our justice system
unless the defense pulls some mind-boggling tricks out of their hats to convince me she is innocent which I can not imagine at this point, but will keep my mind open to the tiny possibility.
Thank you, debwagstongue, and there's no doubt in my mind that Judge Perry knows his business. Personally, I think this case will have the outcome most of us are hoping for, but will she be sentenced to death? That's a tough one to call.
Well, the Grandparents come to my mind- and wouldn't that be a doozy! They are going to be aggrieved on any number of levels, after this.
Watch the finger-in-the-mouth thing get played up like crazy by her now, the result of very subtle coaching by the mitigation folks. Think back to that 50's flick, "Baby Doll". If you haven't seen it, check it out, or at least the beginning. That kind of gesture is a tell-tale sign of abuse, doncha know! And you'd better believe she's going to be laying it on thick...
Baby Doll? I'll have to look it up.
THERE YOU ARE!! I was beginning to wonder if that mob in Clearwater has swallowed you whole! OM must be back up and running, it took my post for review (anonymous of course lol).
Casey's parents not being at her jury selection after 3 years of steadfastly defending her is glaring to me. They've finally realized it seems that they're going to be tossed under the bus. This family has privacy issues and seemed to want their famil problems to stay private. With Casey's case their family life became an open book. Now this laundry list including "using Casey as a scapegoat" is the straw that broke the camel's back. I know her lawyers had a lot to do with it. Since Kronk didn't work out they had to find something, but just imagine what it would be like to hear something like that from your own daughter that you've defended. Plus.. did you see the look on her face when one juror mentioned seeing that she refused to see Cindy on mother's day weekend? She looked downright hostile. I just had a thought. Casey lied so much how do these therapists know what she told them is the truth? Probably not.
Jury selection is boring and educational. Even in the United States each state does things differently. Each juror comes with their own personality and their own issues. There are no "pod" jurors even thought it sometimes seems like it when we view court shows on tv or news programs like Dateline who sometimes interview jurors. Now we're seeing what happened on the way to becoming a juror. They went through a lot.
I still say I think this group NEEDED a judge like Judge Perry. Strickland was a good judge but he was way too lenient when it came to time-wasting arguments and issues especially on the part of the defense. Perry has the reins and he's not afraid to use them. He's like a walking law library. He's done this for so many years that the only things that seem new to him are the most recent rulings like the one Baez quoted today from an article published 2 weeks ago. I love it when he and Mason have "duelling cases" in court. For everyone Mason can throw out off the top of his head Perry has a counter one. I imagine these two have come face to face so often they can almost read each other's mind on "where are you going with this".
Grass is growing on it's own .. i'm watching this.
Btw, I've noticed Casey's crying and pulling at herself only happens when Perry is reading the charges. I saw one time Sims wrote a note to her and she nodded her head, then seemed to try working up tears, so I'm left thinking it's something she's being told to do. "Act devastated for the potential jurors, Casey, and look sympathetic".
Hi Connie - Actually, I haven't made any trips over there. I'd have to lug all of my meds and I'd have to get a room with a refrigerator for the Lantus and Byetta. Personally, I don't think I'd want to sit in that courtroom from 8:30 to 7:30, either, when I can watch it at home and go about my business.
You know, you mentioned Judge Strickland and I feel he would have been just as great as Judge Perry had the "incident" with the defense not occurred. Another thing that's made the rounds is that Strickland is against the death penalty because of his strong Catholic faith. I don't think he would have let that get in the way of doing what he thinks would be best. In other words, if the jury comes back with a guilty verdict and death as the penalty, I don't think he would overrule it. That's just my opinion, though, and you simply reminded me of it.
There's no doubt that the defense will coach Casey throughout the trial, and it's one thing she needs to do a lot of work on, because right now, she stinks at human interaction.
Thanks for worrying about me.
The Orlando magazine site and commenting is open for business. Whatever the glitch was, it's fixed, so please feel free to go there and comment.
Conniefl- I thoroughly agree about the judges!
Hi Dave...where can I watch the jury selection on the net? Is it available or only on tv? Thanks, Melanie..and congrats on your new designation at OM.
Hi Melanie - You can go to any of the Orlando TV Websites and click on the banner that says 'watch it live' or something like that. Here's where I go because it's the closest one in real time:
http://www.wftv.com/caseytriallive1/index.html