A murder conviction in Ocala
Yes, we're a sleepy little town. But we in Ocala (and Marion County) have our share of murders. Senseless, stupid ones. The trial of one such murderer concluded yesterday.
"A six-member, all-white jury deliberated for about three hours Thursday before reaching the verdict. Family members of Cox and Robinson waited in the hallways and in the courtroom. The three-day trial had been somewhat emotional, especially after El Shawn Joshua testified that Cox pleaded for the life of her son before she was fatally shot in the head. After the verdict, 5th Circuit Chief Judge Victor Musleh sentenced Shell to two life sentences, which he will serve consecutively, and 25 years for the robbery, which he will serve concurrently."
An interesting paragraph. Note that an "all white-jury" found a someone guilty of murder. So what's missing?
You're right. The convicted murderer is a young black man. Seems like grounds for the verdict being overturned, right? Well, not quite.
See, the two victims were also black. And there was no doubt that the killer was the man convicted. So, no racism involved (of course). So we can breathe a sigh of relief that our county won't automatically be considered as a KKK stonghold. Kinda sad, isn't it, that the dream of a color blind nation is still that...a dream.
Also, if you're like me, you are somehow surprised every time you hear that it only takes a 6 member jury to try a murder case. It's amazing how strong an impact such movies as "12 Angry Men" have made.
"A six-member, all-white jury deliberated for about three hours Thursday before reaching the verdict. Family members of Cox and Robinson waited in the hallways and in the courtroom. The three-day trial had been somewhat emotional, especially after El Shawn Joshua testified that Cox pleaded for the life of her son before she was fatally shot in the head. After the verdict, 5th Circuit Chief Judge Victor Musleh sentenced Shell to two life sentences, which he will serve consecutively, and 25 years for the robbery, which he will serve concurrently."
An interesting paragraph. Note that an "all white-jury" found a someone guilty of murder. So what's missing?
You're right. The convicted murderer is a young black man. Seems like grounds for the verdict being overturned, right? Well, not quite.
See, the two victims were also black. And there was no doubt that the killer was the man convicted. So, no racism involved (of course). So we can breathe a sigh of relief that our county won't automatically be considered as a KKK stonghold. Kinda sad, isn't it, that the dream of a color blind nation is still that...a dream.
Also, if you're like me, you are somehow surprised every time you hear that it only takes a 6 member jury to try a murder case. It's amazing how strong an impact such movies as "12 Angry Men" have made.
posted by RightinFlorida | 8:18 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home