09/01/2026
I served on a jury one time in my life. Drunk driving case. Guy blew a .23. In today's world, he would be three times over the legal limit, and a jury in Ohio is essentially told to find the defendant guilty. Not in 1979. It was just a piece of evidence.
A couple of people on the jury didn't like machines. Why should a machine decide it? A couple more just didn't like the prosecutor, believing him to be arrogant. All agreed they liked the defense attorney. Rather suave, older-looking guy, a Matlock type. Who doesn't like Andy Griffith?
The thing is that the defendant had a plausible story. I think everyone on the jury had at some time or another driven after or while drinking. So, we had been there, plus the assistant county prosecutor was a creep.
Because I was starting law school in a few weeks and worked for a local attorney, I was the natural choice as foreman. All I found out was that the foreman does nothing important. "Let's vote." "What do you think?" "Yeah, the prosecutor isn't likable, and I understand about machines."
More talk about the snot-nosed prosecutor, and how the story made sense. The guy's driving was probably due to fatigue, not alcohol. After all, it was around 4:00 a.m. "Let's vote," I said again. Unanimous.
Back in the courtroom, the judge looked over to us, inquiring if we had reached a verdict. He already knew because the bailiff had taken it from me and given it to the judge. But that was my cue to stand up to address the court: "Yes, we have, Your Honor; we find the defendant not guilty."
The prosecutor hit the trial table angrily with his hand, got up, and stormed out. The defense attorney stood, faced us, and thanked us on behalf of his client for diligent attention to the facts and doing justice. The judge thanked us, and off we went.
I’ll never forget how a small kitchen knife could only slightly nick someone’s heart and still kill them in less than a minute. But the thing that stuck with me most after serving on a murder trial jury was the realization that none of us were ever qualified to determine someone else’s fate.We...