I have a pretty good relationship with my friend Leo’s dad, Russ, who is a defense attorney in the Buckhead area. When Leo invited me to come to Fulton County Superior Court to watch part of the court proceedings of one of Russ’ cases, I jumped at the opportunity. I had always known that I was mildly interested in America’s legal system, and was excited to see it in action.
The case was about a girl in her twenties who, while going 80mph in a 35mph zone, hit a car and severely injured the man inside. After being in a coma for a few days, he unfortunately died. After he was pronounced dead, she was indicted for vehicular homicide on April 1, 2019. After receiving a plea deal of five years in prison and five years of probation, she pled not guilty at her arraignment on June 6. In my opinion, this was the wrong move. The plea deal was very generous, considering the maximum sentence for vehicular homicide is 15 years. Nevertheless, that was the decision she made, and the case was dragged out for four months until the jury deliberated over the guilt of the defendant.
Leo and I were due at court at 9 AM to meet Russ and the defendant. We were almost late because I went through security without putting my coat through the metal detector, but we made it just in time. Once Leo and I got to the eighth floor, Russ, his assistant Yeisi, the defendant, and her family greeted us. It was sort of surreal to meet someone due to be convicted of homicide. She was surprisingly friendly to me and seemed pretty relaxed. In preparation for the possibility that she might be brought into custody, she was wearing comfortable clothes.
Over the next few hours, we waited outside of the courtroom to be called in for the jury to declare their verdict. Russ, Yeisi, and the defendant were brought into the room once at about 10:30 to answer two jury questions, which were not disclosed to me. While we waited, Russ made it a point to explain to me everything that was happening. He gave me a brief rundown of the litigation process, told me the defendant’s story, and explained what he thought of the plea deal, the prosecutor, and the judge.
A few more hours passed until we were finally called into the courtroom at about 1 PM. Russ requested that Yeisi, Leo, and I sit in the back of the courtroom so that we could slip out quickly at the end. After some formalities and the jury being sworn in, the jury’s foreman read the verdict: guilty on all three counts, homicide by vehicle, reckless driving, and speeding. After the verdict was read, the victim’s family read a victim impact statement about their son as one last appeal to pathos before the sentence was entered. Both the Russ and the prosecutor were given a chance to make suggestions/requests to the judge. The prosecutor proposed that she be sentenced to the full 15 years with seven years of probation. Russ requested that the defendant be allowed to drive after one year of probation. After the requests, the judge told the defendant that if she had taken responsibility or expressed any remorse, she would be lenient in her sentence because she was a first-time offender. However, she claimed that since the defendant was not taking responsibility and did not express any regret about what she had done, she was not going to be easy on her. The judge then sentenced her to five years in prison, with seven years of probation, and the defendant was cuffed and taken into custody. As she was being escorted out, her mother yelled “shameful!” After that, Russ signaled for us to walk out of the courtroom with him.
Once we made it out of the room, he walked over to the prosecutor and gave him and handshake. I couldn’t make out what he said, but it seemed like an amiable, respectful conversation. Afterward, he came back to us and talked about how everything went. He pointed out that he thought the prosecutor’s plea deal wasn’t good because it wasn’t any better than the sentence that she was given after pleading not guilty. After a criminal serves sixty percent of their prison sentence, they are eligible for parole, and sixty percent of five years is three years, which was the same as the plea deal. He also mentioned how it was very likely that the defendant’s mother would appeal the case, which did actually happen. There will be a status conference toward the end of February.
I’m delighted I went. It was a very educational experience for me, and I was flattered that Russ took so much time to explain to me how everything worked and what he thought. Seeing everything first hand, instead of on TV or in a book, was very intriguing to me and inspired me to look into how I can make a career in law. Currently, my plan is to finish my BBA in Finance and Accounting and then complete a hybrid graduate program that will allow me to get my MBA and JD in three years. Eventually, after working for ten or so years, I’d like to get into politics as a representative or senator. Life is very unpredicable, and plans change, but I’m so excited about what my future holds.
Aidan's Audit 