GUILTY NC - Kathy Taft, 62, Raleigh, 6 March 2010 - #5

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I dropped by the courtroom twice yesterday. I didn't go in. I just looked in through the glass widows. They were selecting jurors. There was a couple that appeared perhaps the age of the def's parents sitting behind the defense table, both times. I'm not sure if that is who they are. The second time I went by, they were the only spectators in the courtroom.
 
I went by the courtroom another day last week, I think it was on Wednesday or Thursday. They had brought in a new large group of potential jurors to select from. I suppose that the fact this is DP case is causing it to go slower than most of the other murder case I have watched over the last couple of years. (Cooper and Young)
 
You must work close by the court house? While I enjoyed the few times I got to watch trials, it's a P.I.A. to drive downtown, park, blah blah blah.

Yes, the wheels of justice grind slowly.
 
I went by the courtroom another day last week, I think it was on Wednesday or Thursday. They had brought in a new large group of potential jurors to select from. I suppose that the fact this is DP case is causing it to go slower than most of the other murder case I have watched over the last couple of years. (Cooper and Young)


I guess you're right about the DP (or anti-DP) culling out a bunch of potentials before they even get into the courtroom, Prancy. Are there that many "average" folks against it, or could they be using anti-DP as an excuse not to get selected? Or have that many folks already decided that he's guilty, or does the "weird sex" (my words) turn them off, or homosexuality, child abuse, kid-*advertiser censored* or all of the above? That is a lot to consider. And I guess no one noticed anything "off" about JW in the 25 or so years before this happened? Not even the "gift" he left his 1st known B&E victim?

Yes, this one should be quite a ride, sports fans.

When they actually select the Final Fourteen -- now only 2 alternates, from the last I heard, or did the media not get it right? -- is 14 enuff? -- that bothers me a bit -- with 14, if one of them is sick for a day, will the judge decide to wait a day or will he excuse the juror/alt. juror since he doesn't want a delay? I think -- since all of WS wants to hear what I think! -
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- the trial needs 3 alternates at the least.

And no way will the trial start by May 7th; that's only 4 1/2 days from now... hmmmm

And does anyone know who is assisting Saacks at the Prosecution table?

:twocents:

 
You must work close by the court house? While I enjoyed the few times I got to watch trials, it's a P.I.A. to drive downtown, park, blah blah blah.

Yes, the wheels of justice grind slowly.

There's a CAT bus Park & Ride near where we live - pay 3 bucks or something like that & park & get a round-trip downtown & back -- that's what I'll do whenever I decide to try & find a seat in the courtroom. But I agree, driving, parking (for a fee) & driving again is a PITA. My neighbor does the park & ride thing when she meets her city attorney DH (the friend of JG I mentioned earlier) for lunch.
 

I just read the update when the 4pm news hit my inbox. They are still moving very slowly with picking the jury. And I totally agree Born that only 2 alternates scares me as well. I think they need 3 or 4.
Looking forward to this trial getting going and spending time with you all again. So sad that this number of murders is occurring in NC, especially the Raleigh area, but so happy I have a wonderful group of buddies I can hash it out with!
 
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I just read the update when the 4pm news hit my inbox. They are still moving very slowly with picking the jury. And I totally agree Born that only 2 alternates scares me as well. I think they need 3 or 4.
Looking forward to this trial getting going and spending time with you all again. So sad that this number of murders is occurring in NC, especially the Raleigh area, but so happy I have a wonderful group of buddies I can hash it out with!

Oh, boy, ....:skip:... oh, boy!!!! So good to see you here on this forum, East :seeya:!!! You said you'd join us, and here you are. Yes, things are creeping along, but as I said before, we have seen what can happen if things happen -- esp. juror selection -- too quickly...

We should have a pretty good bunch:rollercoaster: of us by the time things really get rolling.


I hope we'll see that Topsail Girl; more of Fax the Max & the Mad74 Woman; Skittles; grit guy is a must, so I hope he'll jump in with us;:loveyou: we've seen some of those folx here already, along with Prancy -- bless her once oh-so-scared bones; glee; NCB; aarrgghh; and no1 is great; wheaten; slooth & TruthB; ruben; maja, NCB, amarillo, and, and,:dance: and there are so many:cheer: good ones; Fran would be fun, too; diphi's around; and, and, and...

Yes, another bone-chiller right here in Wake County -- again. What's in the water? This one is yet one more horribly craven, dastardly, chicken-hearted, cold-hearted and just plain cruel assault to all that is decent and good. A still young-hearted, energetic, good citizen who was, along with her sister, just minding her own business and trying to get along. Known & loved by so many, a good example for all young women and girls, and now she is just GONE; and the greed and screwed-up-ness, changed so many lives forever. Grrrrr.

Glad to have you here, NCEast -- help us get to the right result for the right reasons.



:justice:
 
OMGoodness!! I know we're in the South, but this jury selection process is redefining my mental image of "slow as molasses" at this point!

Thanks so much for the updates!! You all are the BEST!!
 
Good to see you, ladyofthelake! :seeya: I hope you'll spend some time here when things get rolling! My guess is that we might have 16 jurors by the end of next week. Hope so, so stay close.
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And Hi to you, NCB! Yes-s-s-s-s-s-s-s, th-h-h-h-i-i-i-i-n-n-n-g-g-g-s-s-s a-r-e g-o-i-n-g slooooowwwlllyyy.

My guess is that it's the DP factor and possibly the other things that the DT has mentioned -- child abuse, homosexuality, kiddie *advertiser censored*, and I-don't-know-what-all. A juror having a problem with any one of these could be a reason for being excused from duty, so this doesn't sound like an any-old-day-of-the-week kind of case. But I think we knew that already.
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Waiting to see how it all is gonna be laid out there...

See you both soon!
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You must work close by the court house? While I enjoyed the few times I got to watch trials, it's a P.I.A. to drive downtown, park, blah blah blah.

Yes, the wheels of justice grind slowly.

Yes, parking can be a pain and expensive. I work near downtown, but too far to walk. I park in the Sheraton deck on Salisbury Street when I go to the courthouse. It's pricy, but I don't have much of a choice. I am exploring the bus system.
 
Ten jurors seated, as of Thursday morning, 9:10am.


Update from WITN:

"Ten jurors have now been seated in the case of the man accused of raping and killing Kathy Taft of Greenville. The state school board member was found murdered in a home in Raleigh in March 2010.
Court insiders believe testimony in the trial of Jason Williford could start sometime in the middle of next week, approximately one month after jury selection got underway.
Williford could face the death penalty if convicted."

http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/Trial_In_Kathy_Taft_Murder_To_Begin_148488345.html


This is the most up-to-date article I have seen.

We're getting closer, step by step, inch by inch, slowly they turn, these wheels of justice.

Still looking ...

 
<snip>

I hope we'll see that Topsail Girl; more of Fax the Max & the Mad74 Woman; Skittles; grit guy is a must, so I hope he'll jump in with us

<snip>

BBM

Hey, borndem, I thought I heard my name being called the other day! It looks like this trial will start about the same time my family comes to visit. I have poor timing with trials.
 
BBM

Hey, borndem, I thought I heard my name being called the other day! It looks like this trial will start about the same time my family comes to visit. I have poor timing with trials.


Yes, Little Skittles,
:seeya:it was you-you-you I called! :spinner: We need ya here, Skit, whenever you can join us, if you wanna & if you have the time. :websleuther: We'll post as usual, I assume, so we will keep you up-to-date so you can join in whenever time allows. :cheerful: This is a big-un, as you know.

Hope to see you when you can!


:justice:
 
Hi, folks!

Well, since I can't watch any of the trial yet, I went and took a look at 2710 Cartier up close & personal. Of course, I was on my way back from North Raleigh, so I took my usual pig-path short-cut.

All I did was park in the little drive in front of the house & got out & looked around as if I were a prospective buyer -- and they have just now reduced the asking price from $285,000 to $249,900. Still not a steal, imo.

What I really wanted to see was the front of the house -- I wanted to take a look at the exterior doors.... And as the pics show, there are two sliding-glass doors on either side of the front of the house -- one looks into the L/R, and the other looks into the D/R. The door drapes were open, and both rooms were very nicely furnished. There was, in between the pair of sliding doors, a regular exterior door, of course with one of those realtor lock-boxes on it.

Since things are blooming all over the place this time of year, there was so much flora behind the house, towards the little creek that runs back there, I could not see a path or anything close to it, so even my imagination wasn't a help. All I could see was the corner of one of the buildings in the Glenwood Gardens retirement community directly behind (or in front) of the deck of the house.

There is the little bridge over the creek, but it opens onto the backyard of the house next door -- to the right if you are looking at the 2 houses from the street. The bridge is marked "Private Property" when it ends at the neighbor's back yard.

I would assume that this would be the bridge JW would have used if he did come onto or leave Geil's property from the common back path, private bridge or not. He was already a felon and was planning on committing another one that night, I imagine, so a private bridge would have been merely a chuckle on his part, imo.

There is no real "yard" around the house -- it is quite steep and uneven all around the house, so JW would not have been just out for a smoke in this area -- no way. The lot has not been "leveled-out" as the one next door has been. This house would not have been a lark to access from the right-of-way path, or even coming from GG, seems to me.

It was creepy for obvious reasons, even tho I was there at about noon in bright sunlight, and it made me shiver, and it made me angry, angry, angry, and it made me sad.
icon9.gif


But I did gain some perspective of the physical aspects of one of the entries & exits JW may have taken that horrible night.
 
I've been trying to keep track of jury selection, wondering when they are going to get started. Hi borndem! < waving > :) Just been so busy with the yard, gardens, etc. But I think of you all often, know I need another trial to follow. Has it been announced yet, when opening statements will begin??
 
Hi, folks!

Well, since I can't watch any of the trial yet, I went and took a look at 2710 Cartier up close & personal. Of course, I was on my way back from North Raleigh, so I took my usual pig-path short-cut.

All I did was park in the little drive in front of the house & got out & looked around as if I were a prospective buyer -- and they have just now reduced the asking price from $285,000 to $249,900. Still not a steal, imo.

What I really wanted to see was the front of the house -- I wanted to take a look at the exterior doors.... And as the pics show, there are two sliding-glass doors on either side of the front of the house -- one looks into the L/R, and the other looks into the D/R. The door drapes were open, and both rooms were very nicely furnished. There was, in between the pair of sliding doors, a regular exterior door, of course with one of those realtor lock-boxes on it.

Since things are blooming all over the place this time of year, there was so much flora behind the house, towards the little creek that runs back there, I could not see a path or anything close to it, so even my imagination wasn't a help. All I could see was the corner of one of the buildings in the Glenwood Gardens retirement community directly behind (or in front) of the deck of the house.

There is the little bridge over the creek, but it opens onto the backyard of the house next door -- to the right if you are looking at the 2 houses from the street. The bridge is marked "Private Property" when it ends at the neighbor's back yard.

I would assume that this would be the bridge JW would have used if he did come onto or leave Geil's property from the common back path, private bridge or not. He was already a felon and was planning on committing another one that night, I imagine, so a private bridge would have been merely a chuckle on his part, imo.

There is no real "yard" around the house -- it is quite steep and uneven all around the house, so JW would not have been just out for a smoke in this area -- no way. The lot has not been "leveled-out" as the one next door has been. This house would not have been a lark to access from the right-of-way path, or even coming from GG, seems to me.

It was creepy for obvious reasons, even tho I was there at about noon in bright sunlight, and it made me shiver, and it made me angry, angry, angry, and it made me sad.
icon9.gif


But I did gain some perspective of the physical aspects of one of the entries & exits JW may have taken that horrible night.

It makes me sad (and a little angry) that some folks are still creeping around here, looking for answers they aren't going to find. Since dealing with detectives, cops and media for the past two years, we've had hundreds of lookiloos, slowing down as they drive by, taking pictures, not being at all shy about stopping and asking questions. I've had several people knock on my door to ask me what I knew about JW. We had a bunch of lawyers show up here just a few weeks ago along with a couple of news crews shortly afterward. I live here and work here, where JW lived. Literally, he lived in Apt. D, I live in Apt. B. I don't mean to be a jerk but I can't tell you how horrible and invasive this experience has been for the past two years, for all of us who actually live here and would like to, again, live peacefully here. I've had reporters taking photos of me through my kitchen window! It's beyond ridiculous.
 
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