JayTee, I would like to respond as a fellow member of the jury that convicted Erickson Dimas-Martinez, and sentenced him to death for his horrific deeds. Mr. Franco in no way, shape, or form violated *any* order that Judge Clinger set before us. We were never instructed to eschew any use of social networking media, we were simply instructed to not use any form of communication, be it electronic, written or verbal, to discuss the case. Period. Believe you me, the state of the courthouse coffee had NOTHING to do with the verdict and sentence that were handed down. Solemnity- it was to be had in bucketfulls. Until you have been seated on a jury that is faced with the unenviable task of determining the fate of another human being, how dare you question our solemnity during the trial and deliberation? For the record, Randy Franco is about the furthest thing from a 20-year-old punk that you can find. I hope that my child grows to emulate the responsible, caring, empathetic young man that Randy is. The fact that this hearing was requested was just another last-ditch reach by the defense to try and save their client's life, which is their job. After sitting thru the trial, it is clear that the defense will try any trick in the book to somehow spare the life of their client which, again, is their job. I do not begrudge them that. However, I do take issue with anyone that believes that we, the jury, came to this decision lightly and without great thought and heavy hearts, and believes that our decision should be thrown out with no regard. This was not an easy decision for any of us, but a necessary one. And also for the record- Erickson Dimas-Martinez is a legal citizen of the United States of America, not a foreign national. I ate, slept, breathed, and lived this case for three weeks, I believe I have a tad more insight to what actually happened than someone who just read a newspaper article.

Posted by: RogersMom

May 27, 2010 at 3:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )