AZlawyer
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As a follow up to Snaz's question about the car - we've seen in jury trials where the jury is taken to the crime scene.
Will the jury be allowed to see and smell the car?
I doubt it, because the jurors probably will have no expertise in the smell of decomp. So what information would they gain by smelling the car?
OTOH, if I were the SA and if the car really DOES still smell--and not just a little bit--then I might argue that the jurors have common knowledge re: the smell of the type of kitchen trash that was in the trunk and ought to be allowed to smell the car in order to confirm for themselves that it smells nothing like kitchen trash.
IIRC the State retained a piece of the trunk carpet in a can--maybe the jurors will be allowed to open and smell the can for that purpose.
AZ, is it correct that the SA always sits nearest the jury box during trials? Is that a standard protocol nationwide, and if so, do you know why?
:tyou: in advance!
Yes. Because they have the burden of proof, they are given the advantage of sitting closest to the jury.
Hi AZ,
Discussions about the DT strategies and the two threads giving suggestions to both the SA and the DT have prompted my question.
From you experince, is it a common part of a lawyer's general strategy to annoy, bully, and interrupt (on both sides) through manners of objection, obsessive-compulsive habits like pen clicking, and cheap shots, during the hearings while there is no jury, only to change to a softer more likeable person while the jury is seated?
Will we see a drastic change in demeanor from both sides in front of the jury?
No, quite honestly I see the opposite tactic more often--calm and cooperative in pretrial hearings before the judge, and then bombastic and dramatic in front of the jury.
And piggybacking on ynotdivein's question, would it have anything to do with having the jury both feel a safe distance away from what could be a dangerous defendant, and so the jury could observe the defendant more objectively from a distance. And also, would the rights of the defendant play into this anywhere - such as more privacy to talk to their lawyer, etc. during the trial?
Or is it just a matter of court formality and doesn't represent anything in particular besides tradition? Thanks AZ.
No, it is not to make the jury feel safer or to give the defendant privacy--just to give the party with the burden of proof the opportunity to sit closest to the people they have to convince.
Will the jury see KC's written statement (nanny.... dropped Caylee off between.... work... )?
Will the jury see taped interviews - specifically the one where she talks about the Zanny's number being on the other sim card in her work phone, filing the report at Universal re:the phone not keeping a charge, etc.?
TIA
Based on the judge's recent rulings, yes, the jury should see these things.