Word: courtroom
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
When the prosecution's star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing trial made this observation about his close friend Timothy McVeigh a few weeks ago, he provoked gasps and nervous laughter in the courtroom. The remark was absurd--an amazing, morally obtuse Yogi Berra-ism. And yet it serves as a perfect summary of the argument the defense must now make in order to save McVeigh's life...
...prosecution is attempting to establish that McVeigh caused multiple deaths, that he caused serious physical and emotional injuries, and that his offenses had a severe impact on the victims and the victims' families. Victim-impact testimony is the technical term for the heartbreaking tales that were told in the courtroom last week...
...doubtful, even after all the defense witnesses have testified, that the jurors will feel any more indulgent toward McVeigh or that they will know him any better. He remains a mysterious figure. When he enters the courtroom, he continues to look relaxed and even jocular, until the jury comes in, and then his face goes blank. His only real confidant appears to be Jones. He had a birthday on April 23, when he turned 29; his lawyers gave him two flannel shirts and a box of Peppermint Patties. He spends most of his time in jail reading the piles...
DENVER: After deliberating for eleven hours, McVeigh?s jury gathered in the Denver courtroom at 5:30 EDT on Friday and answered a series of questions assessing everything from his personal history to his culpability and intent in the Oklahoma bombing. They had voted on an excruciatingly long list of factors to reach their final choice: Life or death. In the end, the jury, standing one by one, affirmed that they had chosen the ultimate penalty: death by lethal injection. As McVeigh was escorted from the courtroom after the verdict, he turned to his family and appeared to mouth...
...this kind of argument." Worse, Cohen notes, having struck some sympathetic chords with jurors during Thursday?s emotional testimony by McVeigh?s parents: "There could be a backlash among the jury, whose reaction could be, 'Don't blame us for what he did'." That certainly held true outside the courtroom. "The Waco deal?" scoffed Charles Tomlin, who lost his grown son in the bombing. "They gave them 52 days to come out or do something. My son didn't even get 52 seconds to come out of the building that McVeigh blew...