One of the alternate jurors came to the capital murder theater shooting trial wearing a t-shirt with a picture of a person in an electric chair on the back of it. Though Juror #983 is an alternate and isn’t usually in the courtroom, luck would have it that he and the six other alternates were brought into the room of ten lawyers, the judge, media members and families Thursday.
“Ride the Lightning” t shirt. (note: this is not Juror #978. If it were, strict rules against identifying jurors would mean I would be thrown out of trial for publishing it.)
It was a Metallica t-shirt advertising their 1984 hit “Ride the Lightning,” Judge Carlos Samour, who has been very patient with juror problems throughout the 3 month trial, asked 983 if he had intent to send out a message about the death penalty by wearing the shirt.
Nope. “I like the group,” 983 explained. “I was running late and I didn’t think about the electric chair.”
And that was that. Except for the laughter in the courtroom when DA George Brauchler agreed there was no issue here, other than, “Gee, I would have worn a better t-shirt had I known I would be in court.”
Dan King, of the defense team, was not amused. “Just when you thought you’d seen it all.”
(Note: Despite the gut-wrenching graphics, “Ride the Lightning” actually carries with it an anti-death penalty message. **see lyrics below)
More juror issues
Juror problems ended not with a heavy metal twang but with a nasty drip. Juror 378 has a sinus infection. “I’m sicker than a dog,” she said. “I don’t think I can do what I’m supposed to do today.”
With that, the judge gave the jury the day off with a promise to return Monday providing 378’s antibiotics do what they’re supposed to do. I winced as she handed a germ-ridden microphone which could wipe out the entire jury over to the court assistant. Lysol please.
With the jury gone for the weekend, the day was productive. Since the defense had 17 mitigation witnesses standing by who’d come to Colorado from out of state, they brought in 8 of them to be videotaped. Early childhood neighbors, a soccer buddy, a camp counselor, and a church friend of James Holmes’ mom’s all said the convicted shooter was a great kid who got along with everyone and never was violent.
“He was the least confrontational of all the boys,” said Katherine Barrett, a stay-at-home mom who knew him from the bus stop, Halloween parties and after school snack time. When she got down from the witness stand, Mrs. Barrett gave a sympathetic smile to Arlene Holmes, who sits right behind her son with her husband, Bob.
Notable: It was the first day in the entire trial that the victims’ families side of the courtroom was completely empty. A couple of them told CU Newscorps they do not want to be in the courtroom to hear about what a great guy the defendant was when he was younger.
**Lyrics to “Ride the Lightning”
Guilty as charged
But dammit, it ain’t right
Someone else controlling me
Death in the air
Strapped in the electric chair
This can’t be happening to me
Who made you God to say
“I’ll take your life from you!”
Flash before my eyes
Now it’s time to die
Burning in my brain
I can feel the pain
Wait for the sign
To flick the switch of death
It’s the beginning of the end
Sweat, chilling cold
As I watch death unfold
Consciousness my only friend
My fingers grip with fear
What I am doing here?
Flash before my eyes
Now it’s time to die
Burning in my brain
I can feel the pain
Someone help me
Oh please God help me
They’re trying to take it all away
I don’t want to die
Time moving slow
The minutes seem like hours
The final curtain call I see
How true is this?
Just get it over with
If this is true, just let it be
Wakened by horrid screams
Freed from this frightening dream
Flash before my eyes
Now it’s time to die
Burning in my brain
I can feel the pain