Jury duty: Me vs. the KGB chief

[Robert Urbanek]

In the mid-1980s, I sat on a jury in a Beverly Hills court deciding the fate of actor Walter Gotell on a charge of drunk driving. The German-English actor is best known for his portrayal as a KGB chief in James Bond movies.

The actor admitted he had drunk liquor at a couple of bars, then visited a woman and, before leaving, had another drink, “one for the road,” he explained. He was pulled over for erratic driving, failed a breathalyzer test, could not walk in a straight line, and could not recite letters of the alphabet. At the end of deliberations, I was the only juror holding out for a guilty verdict.

As I recall, the jury was about evenly divided between Black and White members, who quickly chose a Black woman as the jury foreman. She wore a hat during the proceedings.

During the trial, the actor said he could not walk a straight line because he had suffered a stroke. He said his doctor said it was good for his health to have an occasional drink. He said that in the school he went to, they did not memorize the alphabet, so he could not recite the letters from memory. His attorney claimed the breathalyzer test could not be relied on because the device was overdue for an accuracy check.

During deliberations, one juror said the actor was only arrested because police had to meet a quota.

After the defense attorney polled jurors to detect the outlier, the judge dismissed the charge against Gotell. The actor died in 1997.

That experience left me with the impression that many juries are largely a confederacy of dunces.

Walter Gotell

 

[Concerned American]

In the mid-1980s, I sat on a jury in a Beverly Hills court deciding the fate of actor Walter Gotell on a charge of drunk driving. The German-English actor is best known for his portrayal as a KGB chief in James Bond movies.

The actor admitted he had drunk liquor at a couple of bars, then visited a woman and, before leaving, had another drink, “one for the road,” he explained. He was pulled over for erratic driving, failed a breathalyzer test, could not walk in a straight line, and could not recite letters of the alphabet. At the end of deliberations, I was the only juror holding out for a guilty verdict.

As I recall, the jury was about evenly divided between Black and White members, who quickly chose a Black woman as the jury foreman. She wore a hat during the proceedings.

During the trial, the actor said he could not walk a straight line because he had suffered a stroke. He said his doctor said it was good for his health to have an occasional drink. He said that in the school he went to, they did not memorize the alphabet, so he could not recite the letters from memory. His attorney claimed the breathalyzer test could not be relied on because the device was overdue for an accuracy check.

During deliberations, one juror said the actor was only arrested because police had to meet a quota.

After the defense attorney polled jurors to detect the outlier, the judge dismissed the charge against Gotell. The actor died in 1997.

That experience left me with the impression that many juries are largely a confederacy of dunces.

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Walter Gotell

I sat on a jury for a drunk driver during the 80's---very similar case. The guy claimed he had a hip problem and entrapment because the cops were parked across the street from the bar at 2 am. Guilty--first polling.

 

[Robert Urbanek]

I sat on a jury for a drunk driver during the 80's---very similar case. The guy claimed he had a hip problem and entrapment because the cops were parked across the street from the bar at 2 am. Guilty--first polling.

A reason to close bars at midnight. Nothing good can come from being drunk in public at 2 a.m. I suspect some men want the long bar hours because they hope, if they wait long enough, they will find a woman drunk enough to say yes to sex.

 

[lg325]

Sorry to hear about a bad experience on jury duty. Citizens being judged by a jury is better than by a government official.
I have served on it and it was an interesting experience to learn how the system really works. I admit some on the jury were a bit naive and some were a bit bigoted but mostly I left with a good feeling about how the system works.

 

[Concerned American]

A reason to close bars at midnight. Nothing good can come from being drunk in public at 2 a.m. I suspect some men want the long bar hours because they hope, if they wait long enough, they will find a woman drunk enough to say yes to sex.

You know what they say, the girls get prettier the closer to last call that you get. Beer goggles.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

I have been called many many times but have been smart enough to avoid being impaneled every time. Show bias. It works every time.

 

[Concerned American]

I have been called many many times but have been smart enough to avoid being impaneled every time. Show bias. It works every time.

I served on three during a ten year period in the late 70s and early 80's and I haven't been called since.

 

[AZrailwhale]

I've served on three regular juries and a criminal grand jury. The regular juries were a crapshoot. We had a unreasonable juror on one that hung a jury based upon the defenses opening argument not evidence or testimony. The other two came up with fair verdicts based upon the admissible evidence, although in one it took a lot of persuading to teach one juror the difference between someone mentally ill, but capable of standing trial, and someone mentally ill. She insisted that we find the defendant not guilty because he was mentally ill even though he had been ruled capable of standing trial before he went to trial. The grand jury was three months of education about drugs, DUI and murder. It was frustrating because the DA totally had control of not only what witnesses and evidence were presented to us, but what questions we could ask the witnesses. The saying about a DA being able to indict a ham sandwich is really true. He almost always gets the result he wants. I think out of over a hundred cases, we only refused to return two or three indictments.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

After decades of picking juries and voir dire, I conclude that those not clever enough to avoid service are either dimwitted or have nothing to do to pass the time.

 

[KissMy]

After decades of picking juries and voir dire, I conclude that those not clever enough to avoid service are either dimwitted or have nothing to do to pass the time.

Yup!

I showed major bias to never get picked or sequestered, because I had things to do, money to make, adventures to take & woman a to love.

 

[Robert Urbanek]

During a break in the trial, a juror broke the rules by striking up a conversation with a prosecution witness. She was replaced with an alternate.

In his testimony, Gotell said he had visited the woman to discuss becoming a godfather to her two sons, which to me seemed an account fabricated to win sympathy with single mothers on the jury.

In his closing presentation to the jury, the prosecutor, a chunky Hispanic man, presented a picture concealed by twelve panels. He explained that removing each panel would be like revealing a new piece of evidence, which in the end, would show the whole picture of the evidence against Gotell. After he removed all the panels, the final picture showed an Alpine setting of a peasant woman holding a basket of cherries.

 

[lg325]

It took three years but a man was found innocent of murder in a jury trial. I was on one of the juries they dismissed us and moved the trial to another part of the state and a new jury. The evidence looked like he was guilty but after we were dismissed we all talked and agreed something just didn't seem right about the whole thing. Three years later we proved correct. Too long a story to explain but having'' jury of peers'' at times they can see things in a situation a cut and dry judge an prosecution can't.
I know if I ever get in a bad situation I want regular citizens to hear my case than leave up to government officials.