Coty Wamp
Appearances
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
these questions are i can see that because some of them were very detailed some of them were so detailed and but at the end of the day it doesn't matter and it's if a juror wants those questions answered they that's great that's what's important to them and that's that's what we need to know but it is like you you spend a day with someone on the witness stand and then the jury has 29 questions so do you guys together like does everyone have to unanimously agree
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
like we're gonna we can object so there were times where josh would have objected and said we don't and then the court has to decide most of them we agreed on okay most of them is very clear it's an appropriate question or not an appropriate question so many of them were going to be answered down the road and he i feel like he made that really clear like we may not answer it don't take it personal also it could be presented at a later time i think the thing that was helpful for us was because we couldn't talk about it or discuss the case throughout that was our only opportunity to
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
Yeah, I appreciate that. There's definitely pros and cons to questions. And for a prosecutor, it's nerve-wracking because sometimes I don't want to know what the jury's thinking. I'd rather not know what the jury's thinking. So it's nerve-wracking because there were times in that trial where he and I would walk back to the table and we'd be like, that was a bad question.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
The fact that one of the jurors is still focused on something like that, we'd be sitting there like, that is bad, that is bad, that's not good for us.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
Yeah, and by the end of the day, you're like, three of those jurors are still focused on this. But y'all also had this story in your head the whole time about Tinder and a fight with wine glasses. Yeah, we were trying to prove it. And that's one reason by the end of it where I'm so frustrated because throughout the trial, you guys are thinking, and some of your questions reflected that,
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
When are we going to hear about this?
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
And I think some of the questions reflected that. But no, looking back, and I would tell Judge Patterson this, if juries appreciate him and if he appreciates him, you can allow it in the state of Tennessee. So I'm fine with it. We've gotten used to it now. It's great.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
I think such an example of that from this trial when it was a little bit early on to really hit home for the jury because Katrina was our first witness. But how identical she looks to her daughter. So much. Always, yeah. And I mean, always stood out to me as like, oh my gosh, she is up there on the witness stand. She looks exactly like her daughter.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
We're going to show her driver's license so that you can see. But... They are real people. They have moms that sometimes look just like them that are willing to testify on their on their behalf. And so, yeah, I mean, what a moment. Y'all didn't know as much about the case at that point in time because she was our first witness.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
But looking back, I mean, oh, yeah, when a mother looks exactly like her daughter, who's this has happened to. And I thought, I mean, honestly, I think it's a sweet moment for me to to see her on the stand. And what a mom, you know, what a mom Katrina Venus is. is the mom that we all aspire to be. And so I thought that was a sweet moment.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
A motion for new trial is filed in every single case after every single trial. Standard, yes. Standard. You have to argue the motion for new trial before you can go through the actual Court of Appeals process. Very standard formality. There are some cases in which there can be significant issues.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
Most often there's not because you're having, you know, the judge that's reviewing the motion for new trial is Judge Patterson. He was there for the trial. So for a judge to grant a new trial, often they would have to admit that they made a ruling that they now believe was incorrect. And so it very, very rarely happens that a new trial is granted. I've seen one here granted in the last year.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
maybe two in the last five to 10 years. Um, and so, you know, everybody's like, Oh, he wants a new trial. How dare him? And this is what happens. It's no big deal. So as soon as it's argued and we don't believe there'll be any issues whatsoever, um, then it's in the hands of the court of appeals.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
Um, this probably would never go to the Supreme court because the issues are just not big enough and, um, it'll be done in a couple of years. Yeah.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
And that's one of the pros. There's pros and cons to a jury being able to ask questions. One is you know what they're thinking and you know what direction they're going in. You know what issues they're having with the case. What do they keep focusing on? There's cons as well. First of all, y'all didn't know that it was going to be such a lengthy trial.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
So you're wanting the evidence from this witness when it's not coming in through this witness, it's coming in through another witness. So jurors have a tendency to maybe get ahead of themselves. And so we're sort of wasting time. with these questions because we're going to answer these questions for you. If they can be answered, we're going to answer them, you know.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
So there's pros and cons amongst both the defense bar and my office for jury questions. We only have one judge here who does jury questions, and that's Judge Patterson. And I think at first we were all very nervous about
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
these questions because it just started two and a half years ago and he became the judge but over time it it it only probably has helped us um honestly it's not harmed us it doesn't hurt you know and sometimes there's a question that we did not think of
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
And so many of y'all's questions were asked, meaning that there's a question that we didn't think of and we didn't even know would be important, but it was for some reason. And so I think looking back, I originally was opposed to the questions. And now it doesn't it doesn't hurt us if juries like it the way that now we're hearing that juries like. like being able to ask those questions.
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
We also have a concern that we don't want a juror to use it against either party if their question's not asked. Or think that someone's hiding the ball, you know? You have a question that's really significant to you, for some reason the court doesn't ask it, Um, I wouldn't want anybody to think, well, why are they not answering the question? What are they hiding?
SEQUESTERED Podcast
BONUS EPISODE: Behind the Mic and Beyond the Verdict
Cause that's normally just not the case at all. So we have those concerns, but overall, and this, I've never seen a jury ask as many questions as y'all ask. Yeah. There was probably a couple of times up there where I turned around and rolled my eyes. Cause I'm like,