Natter Area 51: The Truthiness Is in Here
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
I've heard that, statistically, one in three females have been sexually molested in one form or another. As the 'one', it seems to me that is a conservative count. Then again, I'm a person people tell things to, so maybe I am just more exposed. But seriously? I don't know if I've ever met a woman who could say that nothing of that sort has ever happened to her or her close ones.
I guess to prevent us from being tampered with.
One jury I was going to be picked for took a break. I went to the bathroom and heard two women talking about the guilt of someone they were there for. As we went back into the jury room, I realized that one of them was the defendant's mother. I vowed to not let the bathroom discussion sway me...after all, they could have been talking about someone else, right?
Then, I heard the defendant tell his mother that he was going to fight the charge. She looked at him incredulously and shouted, "Why on earth would you do that?"
t hand raised like Hermoine Granger
Um. Your Honor? May I be excused?
When I was on a jury, we filled out a questionaire, and then for certain answers, you went up to have a more private conversation with the lawyers and judge -- I know I didn't have to talk about how I was a crime victim in front of everyone.
It's turtles all the way down!
Hee. I have just noticed bon's tag.
The victim's daughter was clearly nervous and scared. When they gave her crime scene photos to look at, her hands were shaking. These first three witnesses were obviously all about establishing the crime -- the fact that the knife, with a five and a half inch blade, had not come from their kitchen, they'd never seen it before, that the victim's bedroom door was open when they all went to sleep, where they lived, how the apartment was laid out, what happened when the victim started screaming, etc.
The victim herself was not particularly emotional, which was something else the prosecutor covered in voir dire, that we all agreed a victim of rape could act and react in many different ways. She identified the defendant in person as her attacker. She had also picked him out of a photo spread.
The next witness was the patrol officer who responded to the 911 call. She took the victim's statement and collected the bloody knife, and also the comforter. She said she was told a crime scene unit was not going to come to the scene.
After that, I think, was the nurse who performed the sexual assault kit on the victim. In addition to the bad cut on her hand, the victim also had some bruising and signs of trauma.
We heard from two people who'd tested the sexual assault kit and the knife. The first one basically did tests that confirmed the presence of blood and bodily fluid on these items. The second one actually performed the DNA test. This is where it gets a little graphic:
They found both sperm and semen on the vaginal swab and rectal swab. The rectal swab actually had more sperm, so they did the DNA test on that sample. Part of the test included separating ejaculate material from other material.
They got a DNA match to the defendant. The chances of an unknown person of Hispanic origin having contributed that DNA sample were something like one in 40 trillion.
If people wanted to, they could go talk to the judge & lawyers. Some did, some didn't.
God bless the victim. For showing up and standing her ground.
Any chance I'll get to see you when you're in NY?
Skipping ahead to say that I wasn't ignoring you Tom, I lost my wireless at home just after posting that. Yes, there's every chance we can meet up. I get in Friday night (June 8) for the party, but then I'll have Saturday and much of Sunday in town. I'm staying with the boys in Cobble Hill so I'll be right nearby. I'll email once the dates get closer.
I think that human life is valuable and should not be harmed without a gravely serious reason.
What is a gravely serious reason? I mean, do you think that a violent criminal never abjures himself of this contract? Even if it's [insert vulnerable dear one here]?
I admire their willingness to put their bodies in the (literal) line of fire in order to protect the innocent.
I know you know you can accomplish that without being a pacifist, but what about the idea that you might more effectively protect the innocent (at least from immediate harm) by use of force?
Okay...I see that you would fight on someone else's behalf. Just not for your own? How does that shake down? I mean, are you less valuable than your SO? Would defending yourself leave a taint that defending him wouldn't?
I ask, not to judge, but because I consider self defense to be morally the same when say, avoiding rape.
Krav training is consensual violence, at least as much as hockey. It's framed as self defense, but you don't have to intend to use it as such to do any of it.
Teaching (and even training in) krav has totally shifted how I think of the police. For good and for ill. It's just different.
bon, it's NSM that I'm training with cops so much as helping train them to do their jobs that I thought might be a factor. My part time job is all jammed up with enhancing law enforcement's ability to fulfill its goals.
None of them spoke English -- not the defendant, or any of the first three people who testified, who were the daughter (20), the niece (16), and the victim (40).
Sheeit. So the woman who was (allegedly) raped had to do this all through interpreters too? What a horrific mess.
We heard from the guy who had taken an oral swab of the defendant's mouth. (Which apparently is just like they show it on CSI, except better lit.)
We heard from the policeman who (I think) spoke to the victim at the hospital, and who definitely showed her the photo spread.
I think that's most or all of the witnesses we heard from the first day. The prosecution rested, and we were sent home.
The next morning, we walked in, and the defense rested without putting any witnesses on the stand. The defense lawyer had cross-examined several of the prosecution's witnesses. He pointed out the fact that the apartment was dark, since it was 3AM and the lights were off. He gave the DNA technician some hell about the widely publicized problems the Houston crime lab had in the recent past. He pointed out that of the six pictures in the photo spread, the defendant's was the darkest in terms of background.
We were pretty damn surprised that they rested without putting on a case, at least I was. At that point, we were read the charges, and the attorneys made their arguments.
The defense said that identification rested on a questionable photo spread, and an eyewitness account from a year and a half ago (when the crime occurred). The apartment was dark, things happened quickly. As for DNA, the lab had had plenty of problems before, where cases had to be overturned and tests had to be outsourced.
The prosecution said that if we believed the victim, there was no question that the defendant was guilty.
We went out into the jury room. It took about ten minutes for us to agree he was guilty. This was midmorning Thursday, and we moved on to the punishment phase.
Sheeit. So the woman who was (allegedly) raped had to do this all through interpreters too? What a horrific mess.
Yeah. The interpreter was in the room, speaking into a mike, and the defendant had headphones on. When Spanish-speaking witnesses were on the stand, the translator stood next to them, and the headphones came off. He was very good. That's got to be a difficult job.
Boo hoo. I forgot to bring my leftover Indian food for lunch. Now, Hungry and Lazy are in a fight to the death. I don't want to go get something, but my stomach is screaming.
Also, they put cilantro on my garlic basil naan with NO WARNING.
