December 5th, 2022
As I opened the mailbox with the bronzed numbers “273” plastered on the front, staring back at me was a plain envelope from the county’s judicial district. I was instantly struck with the fear of being in trouble for a number of reasons.
Was I speeding in a school zone?
Did I not notice a parking ticket?
I couldn’t afford a ticket or a fine.
However, my mind eased as I opened the letter and noticed I was being summoned for jury duty. I figured I’d read the details inside my apartment, and stuffed the letter into my back pocket. As I made my way back inside my apartment, an older man who was grumbling to himself about junk mail bumped into me as he made his way back towards his car. He kept walking as if nothing happened. As a college student in a larger city, I was used to being ignored and blatantly disrespected throughout my day. I decided not to fret over it and continued into my apartment.
Over the last few days, there had been workers in and out of my apartment making remarks about various things that needed to be done with the place. As a woman, I thought that they would knock before entering, or at least announce themselves. However, they hardly ever do. I’m hopeful that they finish some much-needed repairs to make living in this heap more bearable. I took the letter out of my back pocket before settling on my secondhand couch. It stated that I was due in court on December 20th, 2022 at 7:45 AM. It went on to state attire requirements and if there were any extenuating circumstances that would prevent me from attending court as a juror. I made a mental note of the date I needed to be in court.
Fall semester recently ended and I was finally able to relax before starting again in January. I’m getting my degree in criminal justice after serving in the Navy as a master-at-arms. I served for 5 years, mainly overseas. I’m beyond grateful that the VA has approved my disability and is paying for my college and housing. I don’t have to work and can focus on school and my greatest passion, hiking. Living in the south has allowed me to hike year-round, and it grants me distance between those living up north who call me “family”. As an older college student, my classmates tend to ignore me and have a habit of talking around me. I really don’t care, I’m not there to make friends. I set the paper on my countertop before heading to bed and watching Netflix until dozing off.
December 20th, 2022
My alarm clock on my phone went off at 6:00 AM. Those damn chimes aren’t as peaceful as they initially sounded as I played around with the settings when I first got it. I groggily got out of bed and headed to shower, As the water heated up, I remembered needing to change out my shampoo and conditioner set, as this one seemed to make my hair fall out in clumps. After showering, I turned the water off and dried myself off. I did my best to hide the bags under my eyes with some concealer to no avail. The attire requirements in the letter stated “business casual”, so I hastily threw on some black slacks, a brown sweater, and a pair of black flats. I attempted to tame my curly hair before grabbing my wallet, phone, and keys and heading out the door.
The courthouse is only a few blocks from where I live, so I decide to walk there instead of driving my car and cursing out a few strangers while attempting to find parking downtown on a Tuesday morning. As I walked into the courthouse and got through security surprisingly easy, I followed a sign marked “JURORS” and headed into a large room offset from the courtroom, which had its door propped open. There were already over 50 other jurors in the room, and as I entered, someone closed the door behind me. The judge stayed seated as he addressed us. He was a taller middle-aged man with a head full of greying dark hair. He started by asking various questions to weed us out, such as whether any of us had any extreme reasons why we might not be able to serve. A young blonde woman on the very end raised her hand.
“My ex husband abused me and I recently divorced him…uh, would that stop me from serving as a juror?” she nervously asked.
The judge looked up at her as if he had heard this same statement over and over again and calmly stated, “Due to the circumstances of this trial, you will not be able to serve a juror. You are dismissed.”
As she exited the room, the other jurors and I looked at each other apprehensively. I knew we were all thinking the same thing: what was this trial about?
Within the next hour, we were all guided into the courtroom and the judge, who was now seated in his stand, went over the basics of the case: the defendant’s name is Mark Wilson, who struck and killed a young woman and is being charged for voluntary manslaughter. The judge then asked various questions such as if we knew anything about the case, etc. Then the jurors were all dismissed while the lawyers decided who they wanted as the final jury members.
After waiting back in that large room that we initially met in for over an hour, we were all called back into the courtroom. The judge stated that he would be calling names that would then become a juror. He called several names, finally landing on my name, Alex Cline. He then stated due to the holidays quickly approaching, that this case would begin today. Within the next hour, the defendant was rushed into the courtroom along with the gallery, the lawyers, the bailiff, etc. I was amazed at how quickly things were moving. The defendant didn’t lift his head as the charges were read to him. He had apparently taken a plea bargain, and had admitted guilt to killing the young woman he had stricken with his car. His lawyer read his statement, I, Mark Wilson, was driving late one night while intoxicated. A young woman walked right into the road. I hit her with my car but didn’t stop. I plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
The judge stated, “Due to the approaching holidays, this case’s commencement hearing will take place on January 5th, 2023. As for the vicim in this case, may she be given the justice she so deserves.”
Then they placed my photo in the front of the room, marked with:
Alex Cline
February 15, 1994 - December 4, 2022