Thank you

Thank You …

To Our Veterans

I would like to thank two important groups this week. First and foremost I want to thank all of our veterans, whom we celebrated with many activities Tuesday and in previous events last week.

My father was a veteran and while never served in combat he was proud of serving his country and we were proud of his service. I have written about many members of my family who have served.

I want to thank Ryan Decker for his service and sharing his story with our readers, along with Hilan E. Jones family for sharing his story and honoring his memory in Thermopolis.

This year I also had the privilege of listening to Navy veteran Hank Coe share his story with East Side students. While “drafted” he chose the Navy.

So many men and women answer the call to serve and fight for the freedoms of our country and for other countries as well and we thank them for that service.

To Our Jurors

I would also like to thank our jurors. We have had a few trials this year and while I have never served on a jury, I do know many people who have served as jurors and I have covered many trials.

My brother, father and mother have all served on juries – my mother must have been an ideal juror as she seemed to be selected every time she was in the jury pool.

My husband, Alan, served on a jury in Albany County, and we talk about his experience a lot.

One of the reasons I want to thank them is that they are bound by an oath to not talk about the case while the trial is ongoing, something the 14 jurors are going through this week. When Alan was on the jury, I was working for the Laramie Boomerang. I covered jury selection and at the break told my editor that he had been selected, as such I was removed from covering the trial. We did not want any appearance of impropriety.

It was hard coming home and neither of us could really talk about our day. I had heard about the trial from my fellow reporter covering it. As a juror, he could not speak about it. Boy did he have plenty to say when they finally rendered a verdict on a Friday night.

Jurors have to hear some horrendous things, depending on the case. They have to make a determination based on the facts, they have to weigh testimony, evidence or lack of evidence.

My husband talked about how he and the other jurors weighed evidence or evidence they wished had been processed but wasn’t, leaving unanswered questions in their minds. He also talked about which witnesses he felt were reliable and which ones were not and how they made that determination.

No one in that room took their decision lightly. They are deciding the fate of the defendant but also making a decision that impacts the lives of others involved in the case.

Yes, serving on a jury is a duty and while there are exemptions, if called you must serve. In every case I have covered I believe that the jurors, like Alan, take their duty seriously.

Judge Bobbi Overfield, in conducting the jurors oath on Monday, told the jurors that they must not do any investigation on their own because anything they may find might not first, follow the rules of evidence; two, would not be able to be cross-examined by the accused, and third, would be in direct violation of their oath.

A juror’s role is not to investigate but to weigh the evidence that is presented and to try and bring justice to either the alleged victims in the case or the alleged perpetrator of the crime.

Without jurors, our system of justice would not work in the United States, so from someone never even on the list for the jury pool (and likely with my job, never to be selected for a jury) I thank you for stepping up to serve.

On a side note for jurors, I witnessed something in the trial that began Monday and how technology has changed some things. When there is an objection by one of the parties, the attorneys and the judge can speak in chambers or up by the judge. Speaking up at the judge’s bench runs the risk of the jury overhearing. Going into chambers delays things longer than is necessary.

Monday, they brought technology into the picture with the attorneys donning an earpiece and the judge’s clerk playing white noise to drown out their voices for those of us in the courtroom. The judge and attorneys could hear each other through the earpieces.

Having covered numerous trials this was a first for me and I was impressed with the technology.