Does anyone think this man bullied jurors into voting for the death penalty?

[cynatnite]

Two jurors were initially intent on a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, panelist Earl Garrett said. He said he persuaded them to change their minds.

"I had to hurt their feelings ... but I wasn't there to make friends," Garrett said. "It hurts to know you're sending a man to die, but he killed this little girl. He signed his own death warrant."

Underwood's attorneys did not dispute that he killed Jamie in April 2006, but argued that he suffered from a host of mental illnesses and was overcome by deviant sexual urges.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080308/ap_on_re_us/girl_slain_trial

This is an awful case of a man who murdered a little girl. It's one of those things that makes it easy to want this man to die for what he did. At the same time I'm against the death penalty, too.

Reading this, I wondered if that man bullied the two jurors into voting his way.

[casus belli]

1. That's how juries work. n/t

[musicblind]

2. I do not believe in the death penalty

and I believe the juror who advocated this man's death is a monster... and will have an awful surprise should he have to die and face God himself.

[anniebelle]

3. "Should he have to die"?????

What do you mean by that? You think he's going to live forever? To claim your God's love on one hand and then take that love and twist it to your terms, why should he have to 'face' your god at all? Just curious.

[musicblind]

4. Saying "should he have to die" is merely nicer than saying

"when he dies" because I do not wish death on anyone. And of course, in my mind, he will face my God, because I believe in my God. If you have a God then I am sure in your mind he will be facing your God or Goddess. Did I ever say I would take God's love away? Let's say I did something wrong like send a man to his death when I had no right to... I would face my parent's wrath, but my parents would still love me. I do not believe that God would send him to HELL for doing a single horrible deed.

If you are trying to use this to take a stand against religion, or turn this into a "I hate religion" issue... you have picked the wrong person to do that. I stand firm in my faith, but I also support and agree with anyone's right to their faith as long as they do not use it to harm others. I also support people who do not choose to participate in a particular faith.

I believe this man did a horrible thing, and because I believe in a God and feel that my God would agree with me on this issue... since he is MY God. I feel that my God would be angry about this, and should that man ever have to face my God he would have that displeasure explained.

Geesh.

[Slagathor]

5. By bullied do you mean out-argued an inferior position held

by someone unwilling or intellectually unable to aggressively offer rational support to their perspective? That's not bullying. That's destroying someone in an argument until they concede that their position was erroneously held and switch to your point of view. People shouldn't bother having an opinion unless they are willing to back it up with sound reason.

PS I, too, am against the death penalty. I could have swung the vote the other way.

[Contrary1]

6. I was on the jury for a murder trial a few years back...

Very interesting experience, and I wouldn't care to do it again.

On the first vote, ten wanted to convict on first degree, one was undecided, and then there was me.

One of the female members of the jury "went for a walk" with the bailiff, and never returned. She was replaced by an alternate. I never heard why, but I figure that she must have been intimidated, or saw someone who knew her in the courtroom.

After a few hours, I was the lone holdout. The foreman sent a note to the judge saying we were deadlocked.

The judge would have none of it. We ended up in a hotel room for the night. I think it was for our safety, as the victim's family was one very rough looking group.

Anyway, I was able to convince the eleven real holdouts into changing their minds, and believe me; I am definitely not a bully. :)