It's crucial, patriotic and often a hassle. Why we must respect efforts of Topeka jurors.
A summons for jury duty is rarely a welcome piece of mail. For many, it’s a headache. It means missing work or finding child care and shedding our daily routine.
Nevertheless, it’s important and perhaps one of the most patriotic things you can do aside from voting and serving in the military.
We ask jurors to take time away from their lives and determine whether someone committed a crime. We place the fate of the accused in the hands of their peers, present evidence and let the system do its work.
The right to a fair and speedy trial is a constitutional right. We shouldn’t take that lightly.
Earlier this month, a jury in Shawnee County District Court found Yanez Sanford "not guilty" of crimes that included capital murder linked to a 2016 Topeka triple homicide.
The Topeka Capital-Journal’s Tim Hrenchir reports the nine-man, three-woman jury concluded reasonable doubt existed to believe that Sanford, 41, played a role in the Aug. 7, 2016, gunshot deaths of 23-year-old Dominique Ray, 20-year-old Camrah Trotter and Trotter's unborn daughter at Fairlawn Greens Apartments, 5235 S.W. 20th Terrace.
Additionally, Hrenchir reports Sanford became the fourth defendant acquitted of murder in Shawnee County since March 2023, with the others having been Cassie Holden in August 2023, Darnell Tyree-Peppers in June 2023 and Tony Baird in March 2023.
That makes several times in the past 14 months that juries have told us they don’t have enough evidence to convict beyond a reasonable doubt.
Additionally, a third trial looms for Dana Chandler, accused in a 2002 double homicide. Her second trial ended in a hung jury in September 2022. This next trial will take place in Pottawatomie County.
We think it’s important to recognize that juries have a tough task placed before them. It’s rarely a clean-cut issue. The lives of men and women hang in the balance, as well as those who seek justice for those killed or injured.
We believe in the judicial system and the process. That means we respect the decisions and deliberations we place before a jury of our peers.
If you get a summons, show up. Not just because the law requires it, but rather because that’s how justice is best served. If you’re selected for a jury, take the job seriously.
Acquittals prove that a system is working, that jurors are listening to evidence and have the will to say, "There's not enough evidence," to law enforcement. Many people in other countries don’t have that luxury.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Why we must respect the time-consuming, crucial work of Topeka jurors
