GUILTY FL - Calyx, 16, & Beau Schenecker, 13, shot to death, Tampa, 27 Jan 2011 #1

[screecher]

marking

 

[Nymeria]

Jury is entering

Wait...what?
They are still selecting, right?

 

[Chelly]

So thankful for the live stream.
This is fascinating and educating.

 

[Chelly]

Wait...what?
They are still selecting, right?

yes, juror voir dire

 

[Chelly]

difference between terms mental illness and insanity being explained to jurors.

 

[jacct]

Erin Maloney ‏@ErinOnTV 12m
Alright. 76 potential jurors left in #Scheneckertrial. Further questioning getting ready to begin in the courtroom

Tampa Bay Times Live ‏@TBTimesLive 2m
Court is back in session. 19yo juror says she's not up for this case. "I don’t want to have nobody’s life in my hands."

Tampa Bay Times Live ‏@TBTimesLive 1m
Prosecutor now explaining to jurors the definition of criminal insanity in Florida.

Tampa Bay Times Live ‏@TBTimesLive 4m
Def of insanity: a mentally ill person who either doesn't know what they're doing, or doesn't understand consequences

Tampa Bay Times Live ‏@TBTimesLive 1m
Juror says he doesn't believe in insanity defense. "I don’t see how that absolves somebody of the actions."

 

[Rhozwen]

I'll paraphrase the noteworthy bits for those who can't watch

Juror #143 - States in same situation as juror #81 (who had a family/friend murdered), has brother who was (murdured?- couldn't hear too well) is struggling with it and may not be able to be impartial.

Council polled all of potential jurors if they feel they would have any issues with the details of this case. Only one stood #143 and said above issue.

Council asks jury if they understand Premeditation and Sanity or Insanity are up for consideration by them.
All said yes

In the state of florida, a person who commits the crime, can have a recognized mental illness and still be held responsible criminally and be convicted.
Mental Illness does not always mean Insanity. Other factors are used to determine Insanity.

Jury is asked if they can understand this and use that information in making a sound decision.
All said yes.

Jury question:
Is it necessary to have BOTH mental illness/defect or disease AND to not be able to tell from right or wrong or it's consequences?
Do you not admit of a case where a person is not able to tell right from wrong or the consequences, but NOT have a case of mental illness or defect?

Answer: there may be other sources of that, but the focus on what I'm suggesting is the legal issue of Sanity which could lead to a verdict of not guilty by insanity.
Two prongs:
A as a result of mental illness/disease or defect and didn't know consequences of actions
B - even though they have mental illness/disease or defect, the person knew what they were doing and it's consequences, they didn't know it was wrong



Is there anyone among you who has an impression or opinion as such that regardless of the law, you could never consider insanity as a viable defense?

Jury is polled row by row for the above question:

Male in row one - states he doesn't see how insanity would absolve someone of responsibility of their actions

council explains that in state of florida that if someone is found NG by reason of insanity. then they are just that, they can not be found guilty of the crime. There is a legal absolution in some philosophical sense.

Male juror - says he can't support that. Has aunt that suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome, is permanent condition - does not understand cause and effect. He can not support insanity defense.

Council asks send row same question:
no hands

Third row:
Juror #78 feels the same as man in row 1 -
hard to understand her comment - council asked if her view is such that should could never consider insanity as a defense -
her answer Yes
#94 - says it would take a lot to convince her that someone is insane

FOurth row:
No hands

Fifth row:
No hands

 

[Rhozwen]

So thankful for the live stream.
This is fascinating and educating.

I agree. Even though the jury pool is blurred out, it's interesting to see their body language.

 

[jacct]

Tampa Bay Times Live ‏@TBTimesLive 56s
Juror says she used to work at a psychiatric hospital. She thinks she can be fair.

Tampa Bay Times Live ‏@TBTimesLive 2m
Juror says his aunt killed herself in front of children. "I have more than the avg sympathy for people w/ mental illness"

Juror asks to speak privately with judge and council at the bench. Mic is turned off.

 

[jacct]

Rhozwen, sorry I just noticed you are giving a great play by play. Much better than the tweets. Thanks!

 

[Rhozwen]

All of jury pool is being asked if they know/are related to or have experience with people with mental illness.
Various potential jurors are giving accounts of how their lives have been touched by mental illness.
They are asked if that experiences that would affect their ability to serve on the jury and remain impartial. Asked if they are capable of evaluating the evidence still.

My feed keeps rewinding and cutting out, but I haven't heard any potential jurors say that their experiences would affect their ability to be impartial regarding mental illness.

On a personal note, I feel for these potential jury members that are getting up and announcing to a room of strangers that they have had issues with mental illness personally.

 

[Rhozwen]

Rhozwen, sorry I just noticed you are giving a great play by play. Much better than the tweets. Thanks!

Please post the tweets! The more info the better! :tyou:

I have found that sometimes the tweets leave out some info groucho: AZ MD trial, anyone) so I wanted to post things that may help us understand what's going on.

 

[Rhozwen]

Potential Jurors are leaving.

Seems like we are on a break.

JS being handcuffed and led out of courtroom.

 

[Jewels53]

Jacct I think posting the tweets are important! I have posted several trial's just on the tweets alone. jmo

 

[jacct]

CC ‏@courtchatter 6m
Read the emails between #JulieSchenecker, her husband and her family

http://www.courtchatter.com/p/julie.html?spref=tw

 

[jacct]

Jacct I think posting the tweets are important! I have posted several trial's just on the tweets alone. jmo

I'll keep posting then, thanks. I will be out tomorrow though, RL calls so if someone else can post them that would be great. Here's the link I have been using to get the tweets:

https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=#scheneckertrial&src=hash

 

[Rhozwen]

CC ‏@courtchatter 6m
Read the emails between #JulieSchenecker, her husband and her family

http://www.courtchatter.com/p/julie.html?spref=tw

Thank you for posting this. I've been looking for all this information individually and there it is all in one place!

 

[geevee]

Tampa Bay Times Live ‏@TBTimesLive 1m
Juror: "I don’t think Ms. Schenecker woke up and said, "Hey today’s the day I’m going to kill my children."

Actually I think she did. From her journal and emails that have been published she planned this is advance. When she purchased the gun she didn't know about the 3 day waiting period. She wrote in her journal that day that the massacre would have to wait.

Do you have a link to the journals? I'd like to read them if possible, I've seen some of the e-mails but no journal entries. Thanks

 

[Nymeria]

I am like 2 pages into the emails and already like "WHOA!".
Going to wait and read it all later tonight.

Thanks Jacct!

 

[Rhozwen]

Do you have a link to the journals? I'd like to read them if possible, I've seen some of the e-mails but no journal entries. Thanks

There isn't a journal but notes she wrote. One note was written before the murders and one was written after. More info about them is here:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/tampa-mom-julie-schenecker-planned-massacre-funeral-beau/story?id=12868585