With closing arguments scheduled for Thursday, I thought a profile of those who will determine R. Kelly's fate is in order. Here's a breakdown of the jury, delivered in two parts.
Juror #21
This young, white, criminal justice student is in her element within the walls of Courtroom 500. When other jurors' eyes glaze over after an hour or two of video-technological testimony, 21 is tuned in. We learned from jury selection that her boyfriend aspires to the police force and her dad works as a security guard, so if there were ever a "law and order" juror that defense teams loathe, 21 is it. When asked her view on the justice system, 21 wrote, "I like it, and think it is a fair system and done properly- and I will always do my best to make sure it is." She doesn't seem too impressed by R. Kelly's celebrity, either. When asked what she knew of the R & B singer's career, she retorted, "All I know is that it is very old stuff."
Juror #22
The media has dubbed this middle-aged white guy as "the professional juror." This case marks 22's third tour of jury duty- he served on two panels in civil cases tried at the Daley Center, both of which reached a verdict. During selection, he seemed to express a genuine interest in joining the jury- and being a pro, he knew how to answer any questions the judge threw his way. He did fess up to being a Sun-Times reader when lunching in the workplace cafeteria- a newspaper Kelly's defense attorneys wish would flat-out fold. But for the last month, 22 has had to turn away from the tabloids.
Juror #23
Wrinkled, ruffled, and with the uncanny ability to appear as if it's been three days since his last shave seemingly every day- this white guy in his 30's looks like that old friend who simply refuses to grow up. Despite his grown-up job as compliance officer at a downtown financial firm, 23 expressed the concerns of starvation and possible homelessness should he be picked for $17.40 per day jury service. Maybe that's why he looks so scruffy. During questioning, 23 spoke of attending gay events and said he was the victim of an attack after the White Sox won the 2005 World Series. When asked if the attack was a hate crime, 23 said "I don't know." Despite reservations about his newfound civic position, 23 promised: "I would hold myself to a very high standard."
Juror #32
This young black teacher's assistant was a surprise selection for several reasons- her place of employment being the first and foremost. She has worked for the past nine years at St. Agatha Catholic Academy- once known as Our Lady of the West Side Elementary. That was home to Rev. Daniel McCormack, who is now serving a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. 32 also confessed to being arrested while a passenger in a stolen car, and she told the judge she believed the justice system is "made to be as scary as possible." Another surprise? On her juror questionnaire, 32 circled the name of Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards as being a person she knew- Sparkle is considered one of the star witnesses in this case.
Juror #40
This middle-aged black man is currently enrolled in a culinary arts certificate program, and he has a wife who works with the mentally handicapped. He's followed the criminal troubles of rapper T.I. and actor Wesley Snipes, but said he knew little of this child pornography case. Whatever he does know, 40 promised to "absolutely" put it aside- and Team Kelly couldn't be happier. During selection, they had expressed frustration with the State for using its peremptory challenges for allegedly ridding the panel of black jurors.
Juror #48
What we know of this preppy white man's age is that he said he was too young to remember O.J.'s trial, but he had been following the canine criminal case of another NFL star- Michael Vick. He's a recent graduate of the University of Kansas, where he was arrested for possession of marijuana and spent five days in jail. In a separate incident, he was also charged with underage drinking and was forced to pay a $400 fine. Will his own legal battles solicit sympathy for the defendant?
Comments (1)
Hi, I am one of the Jurors #40 and I am thankful this is all over and I know we made the right decision. We only had a couple of pictures of her with different looks and a music video to go by, I just couldn't see him going to jail because we think its Roshonna on the tape. I was 100% in knowing that wasn't her. I really grown to like a few of my fellow sisters and brothers jurors and most of all Judge Gaughn. Him and the Defense lawyer Sam J.r and Mr. Jensen had me about to kill over in laughter. Randi I cought you and several other reporters capturing our reactions in certain cases, but all in all I think we were fair in our decisions. For the people claim that he should have been convicted I have two questions for them and that's "have you seen the evidence we saw and the actual victim?" If not make sure your judgment day is just as fair as you are. Randi I called you back you didn't get back so here is my statement. Thanks Randi
Posted by JUROR 40 | June 15, 2008 1:04 AM
Posted on June 15, 2008 01:04