[speaker001:] Well, how do you feel about capital punishment?
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] Well, I, I just last Friday got off a capital murder case.
[speaker001:] Oh, you did?
[speaker002:] Yeah, I was on the jury. Uh,
[speaker001:] Wow.
[speaker002:] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Which is funny because I got called last night and the topic was, uh, something about juries [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Oh, really [LAUGHTER]?
[speaker002:] Yeah, so I am just hitting it right. Uh, how do I feel about it? I, I don't know. Well, I guess it is right in certain cases. Uh,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Becau-, well, the one I was just on, I don't, I was an alternate on the case, so I don't know what was decided.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] They are probably still in deliberations on it.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] But, uh, what I found out, once, once I was declared an alternate and I was dismissed, we met with the judge, the two alternates did.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] And, uh, [NOISE] he went on to tell us how they happened to catch this guy and I remember hearing about it. It was about a year ago. Uh, he was, he was involved in another one, another capital murder the very next month and he was caught just, they, they drove up, the police drove up just as he fired the g-, gun and killed the guy.
[speaker001:] Oh, wow.
[speaker002:] So he was caught and, uh, it's interesting because the county I live in, I'm not in Dallas county, I'm, I'm pretty far north of Dallas.
[speaker001:] Okay.
[speaker002:] Uh, county I live in, in the past ten years only had t-, two capital murders.
[speaker001:] Wow.
[speaker002:] And last year there were six and this guy is indicted on three of them.
[speaker001:] Really?
[speaker002:] Yeah, so
[speaker001:] Wow [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] you have to wonder [LAUGHTER], you know.
[speaker001:] Yeah, well, the cases like that, they
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] should, I mean, if he's going to be drastic, somebody has to be drastic back.
[speaker002:] Yeah, although, you know, it's not really revenge because it doesn't mean anything to him. You know, he, he has no concept of what he has done.
[speaker001:] Really?
[speaker002:] He just, well, from what I can tell. I mean, I didn't talk to the guy or anything, but
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] I mean, he doesn't seem to have any regard for anythi-, anybody's life including his own.
[speaker001:] Wow.
[speaker002:] So, it's, it's kind of strange that, you know,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. No, no remorse whatsoever, huh.
[speaker002:] No, huh-uh.
[speaker001:] Well, I guess in cases like that, you know, where the guy would, obviously, go out and do it again
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] I mean, you've got to do something.
[speaker002:] Yeah, well, it's funny because when, you know, they interview you before you go on the jury
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] and for capital murder, I was interviewed by four attorneys for about five hours.
[speaker001:] Wow.
[speaker002:] And I, the, I was the, I think the ninety eighth person [LAUGHTER] they'd interviewed.
[speaker001:] You're kidding.
[speaker002:] But, you know at the time when the guy kept saying could you ever convict someone and do you think you'd ever know beyond a doubt and I said I can't imagine, I said if I knew beyond a doubt or if I felt beyond a doubt that he had done it, yeah, I guess I could convict him, but I can't imagine you ever making me that sure of something.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] But they really did. It was, it was
[speaker001:] Really?
[speaker002:] really amazing.
[speaker001:] Well, I guess if the police came out and saw him fire the gun,
[speaker002:] Well, that was a subsequent case that we didn't know about.
[speaker001:] Oh, really?
[speaker002:] And those jurors don't know about. But this particular case, I mean, they had a complete confession from the guy
[speaker001:] Okay.
[speaker002:] with a lot of things that, that the police hadn't released so no one else would have known.
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] It was, it was really pretty interesting.
[speaker001:] Wow. What,
[speaker002:] Educational.
[speaker001:] I guess cases like that, I don't see why they wouldn't bring in the new evidence from the other case.
[speaker002:] Well, they can't, they can, I think in the punishment phase
[speaker001:] Okay.
[speaker002:] but not in the guilt or innocence because he hasn't been, he hasn't been found guilty of it.
[speaker001:] Of that crime
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] but he was found guilty of anoth-, okay.
[speaker002:] Right, so [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] That works.
[speaker002:] you know, it's, although, it's not going to take much
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] to prove that. So,
[speaker001:] Well, they pushing the death penalty?
[speaker002:] Uh, yeah, this guy is up for the death penalty.
[speaker001:] Wow.
[speaker002:] Uh, and in Texas there is, there is a couple of questions you have to ask, uh, in the punishment phase. Uh, for example, was the guy provoked and was the response reasonable given the provocation [NOISE]. And there is a number of questions and just depending on whether you say yes or no, uh, you, you can give him capital punishment and if you're up to the point where if he still qualifies for capital punishment, [NOISE] then you can look at mitigating circumstances.
[speaker001:] Okay. So,
[speaker002:] So there is a lot of outs, but the only result is, otherwise he gets life in prison.
[speaker001:] Yeah, and I'm really kind of against life in prison anyway
[speaker002:] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] because it costs so dog gone much.
[speaker002:] Right, and, and to me, I mean, you take away a person's freedom, you've taken away most of their life.
[speaker001:] That's true. I mean, if you're going to put him in prison for life
[speaker002:] Yeah, but,
[speaker001:] with no chance for parole,
[speaker002:] But then you have to look at reality. I mean, I think, you know, normally they, they may get out so,
[speaker001:] That's true.
[speaker002:] But what is it worth? I don't know.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Personally [LAUGHTER] I don't know which I would pick if I had a choice for myself.
[speaker001:] That's true. I mean, I don't know whether I'd stay in prison or not or,
[speaker002:] Yeah, so, you said you're from Mississippi?
[speaker001:] Yes, ma'am.
[speaker002:] And do they have the death penalty there?
[speaker001:] Yes, they do. I, they've had a, a number of cases here.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] I mean, not a whole lot, well, Jackson, I heard just the other day had their sixty-first murder this year.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] It was like last like year they had forty-nine so that's going up.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] But, yeah, they have a death penalty. I hear of one every now and then.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And I visited the prison up here
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and, at Parchman and I've been, I haven't, they won't let you on death row, but they'll let you look down the hall.
[speaker002:] Um.
[speaker001:] You can't see any prisoners and, and it's kind of a weird feeling. I've been
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] they took us around on a tour, you know, [NOISE] and I went, got to walk in the gas chamber
[speaker002:] Ooh.
[speaker001:] and it is kind of a weird feeling knowing you're sitting there saying, like, people have died here.
[speaker002:] That's right.
[speaker001:] But I guess, just going up there and seeing the surroundings and stuff, the people up there,