Robert P. Taylor's JuryDuty: reflections on a trial 

In a very accurate and concise summary of the trial before it began, the judge informed us of who would and would not appear to testify, that all witnesses would be NYC employees of some sort, and that all would be called by the prosecution. There were no real surprises. The defendent was charged with several things, including aggravated assault against the victim, her Lesbian former lover. She was alleged to have illegally entered the victim's apartment in the middle of the night, splattered her with nail polish remover and then set it afire. As a result, she was also charged with violating a standing order of protection, forbidding her from approaching or even telephoning the victim. The defendant was present throughout but did not testify; and the victim never appeared, not did her pre-teen daughter who had been present when the crime occurred. The witnesses were all NYC officials: EMS, housing authority, NYPD, fire department, forensic experts and so forth. The physical evidence produced included photos of the victims, a plastic bottle of polish remover, and the victim's partially burned tee shirt. The testimony dealt with what those present saw and heard at the crime scene when they arrived including who was there that night, with what expert opinion held about whether the burns on the victim and her shirt were consistent with someone deliberately splattering and then lighting nail polish remover rather than with some type of careless accident, with why there were no helpful fingerprints, and so forth. All the evidence was introduced and all the witnesses were called by the prosecution. The defense attorney conducted his defense by suggesting the fallibility of each witness and the flaws in each piece of evidence introduced. After all had been heard, the jury retired, deliberated several hours, and returned a verdict of guilty as charged on all counts.