GUILTY

Sorry I have not update this lately, but I've been intensely preparing for my first trial. This was a circumstantial murder and arson trial. Because it was circumstantial, the burden of proof was raised from "beyond a reasonable doubt" to "beyond any other reasonable hypothesis of occurrence" (or something like that). Not only was the burden of proof raised, but so was my blood pressure! I've been so stressed. The more I learned about our justice system this week, the less I liked it. I was outraged at just how protected defendants are in our country.

Anyway, the jury was out for about three nerve racking hours, then they announced that they found our suspect guilty of murder and arson. I can't tell you how good that felt. However, that relief and feeling of being indestructible was snatched right from under me when the defense attorney immediately asked for a mistrial based on information published in a front page news article that could have swayed the jury's opinion about the defendant. All of the jurors were polled, and now there will be a hearing to determine if he should be granted a new trial or not. Although it may be short lived, I still consider this one a victory.