>>>>>>>>>>And it's a death penalty case and you consistantly whine about death penalty and how maybe there will be some chance of a doubt.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>This is your fault.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>I will say the case did not appear to have been proven absolutely, but it's close enough for me.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>And that is why I hope you're never on a jury. Don't get me wrong, I think she's guilty as hell, but the prosecution didn't have a damn thing. The jury did their job.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>What? We are in agreement? The jury sat through the entier trial and heard everything both sides had to say. Apparently, the evidence wasn't strong enough to cause them to believe she committed the murder. Now, had they charged her with being a low life, trailer trash, piece of crap....
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>That's the PC version of what her attorney called her - "a lying slut" IIRC..
>>>>>>
>>>>>>She definitely has all the characteristics of a "slut puppy."
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>And you all know exactly what she is or isn't through the ever so accurate lens of the media.
>>>>> If anyone who personally knows her or sat in on the whole trial wants to pop up with an opinion that would be worth listening to.
>>>>>As Dominic Strauss Khan has just found justice seems to be about trial by media.
>>>>
>>>>We see this differently. When he was accused of trying to rape a hotel maid, then hotfooted it to the airport, that was reported. It should have been. It was news. When the DA's office dropped the case when the woman's reliability came into question, that was also reported. What do you think they should do, wait until the trial is over before reporting anything?
>>>>
>>>>Let's not forget that the man has a history of attempted rapes, so it didn't seem far-fetched.
>>>
>>>He wasn't accused and then hotfooted it to the airport. He checked out and got on the flight he booked in the meantime the maid made her accusation.
>>>
>>>In france and the UK it would be illegal to parade the accused as he was in handcuffs 'the perp walk'. You could probably get a mistrial on that alone.
>>>
>>>"He has a history of attempted rapes" . What exactly does that mean. Has he ever been charged or convicted of anything ?
>>>
>>>This isn't a solely US problem the same thing has happened in several high profile cases here where eventually innocent people have been hauled through the media because they where accused. Often anything unusual about their lives is dragged out and examined. It shows to me that witch burning and the lynch mob lies just below the surface of our civilization.
>>
>>I was mistaken about the flight out of the country. It had been booked long before.
>>
>>I was also mistaken that he tried to rape her. The allegation is that he tried to force her to perform oral sex. A distinction without a difference really, but still a distinction.
>>
>>No, he has not been charged or been convicted. There have been other allegations. Here is one.
>>
>>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/world/europe/05france.html?scp=1&sq=strauss-kahn%20accused%20of%20rape&st=cse
>>
>>(And what kind of mother is that? Right up there with Casey Anthony IMO).
>>
>>Re the perp walk, you are not alone in your opinion. NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg said just the other day (while defending the DA) that he considers it despicable. Be that as it may, it happens all the time here. Maybe the next time Mr. Strauss-Kahn allegedly forces a woman to allegedly get on her knees and hum some music for him he should do it in the UK. That would save him some embarrassment.
>
>So if I ever visit the 'land of the free' I'd better hope no one 'alleges' I might have done something as you and others seem to assume that indicates guilt.
>If you where on a jury Mike you should own up to this weakness so you can be eliminated as a juror.

I do not assume that. If I were a juror I would view the case impartially and start with a presumption of innocence.

So far it has been a moot point. I have been called for three juries and twice was tossed during the lawyers' questioning of prospective jurors or before the jury is selected. Everyone called fills out an information sheet and one of the questions is what your profession is. I have always answered Software Developer. That is not what the lawyers want to hear and it's heave-ho, over the side you go. They get a certain number of challenges, many of which do not have to be argued. Peremptory challenge, I think they call it. They don't want software developers, engineers, etc. and get rid of them as fast as they can. They want more malleable types, not independent thinkers ruled by rationality.

One thing I found interesting is that most everyone there wanted to be on the jury. We (Americans) joke about how to get out of jury duty so we don't have to miss work, get sequestered, and so on. But once you get in that courtroom, the magisterial surroundings, and realize how serious it is, we want to be there. One of the juries I was called for was a civil case by the family of a 13 year old boy who broke his arm and didn't think it had been set right. (In fact it was his right arm). They sought damages against the doctor, who by the time the case came to trial was an old man. We were questioned in random numerical sequence by both teams of lawyers. One of the routine lines of question was whether you are in the medical field, whether any close relative is, whether you have ever had a similar injury, and so on. A prospective juror ahead of me in the questioning said yes, I had a broken arm once. "Was it fixed to your satisfaction?" "Well, not really. It's still weak and crooked. It left sort of a sour taste in my mouth." The rest of us got probably our only laugh of the day when he said sour taste in my mouth. Out he went.

That case ended the way the judge told us many civil cases do. My number was way down the line, something like #78 out of 80 -- they select 12 jurors plus two alternates -- and I wasn't even questioned. The judge and the lawyers went in the back for a really long time. After an hour the judge came out to say we are discussing things and you are all excused for lunch until 1:30. When we came back he came out again and said an agreement had been reached between the parties. He was an older guy, genial and sincere, the kind of judge many of us picture. He allowed himself a short riff. He said we have an open justice system, especially on the civil side. You can sue a ham sandwich in this country. He said the interesting thing is that after all the threats and accusations are made, when we're here in this courtroom, people tend to get a whole lot more reasonable. I thank you all for your service.