Waiting for the Verdict in the Noor Salan Trial.

Posted on by Thor

The prosecution and defense had finished their closing statements in the Noor Salman trial before lunch. Judge Paul G. Byron send the jury to deliberate when everyone got back from lunch. I wrote an article at my apartment figuring it was safe to be away from the court house for a while. All afternoon the jury discussed the case and the media waited in the designated media room. Since the courtrooms were closed up, I had to wait in the media room as well. This was my first time in the room since I  hadn’t really needed to use it during the trial. When I had wanted to write an article, I simply walked back to my downtown apartment. Now however I couldn’t leave. The jury could reach a verdict at any time. Several times the jury asked to see more evidence. When that would happen, the media would rush to the courtroom and Judge Byron would provide what her could to the jury. When I returned from my apartment, I got through the security for one of these evidence requests, I was just about to sit down and it was over. I hadn’t gotten my belt or shoes back on yet from the security check. The jury went back to deliberate.

Walking to the media room I ran into a reporter from CNN who wanted to buy some of my courtroom sketches for broadcast.  On the very first day of the trail, at 7:30 a.m., I stood at the entrance of the courthouse with Dan, a CNN reporter waiting for the doors to open. We discussed the case and I told him of my trials and tribulations of not being able to get into courtroom 4B. I suspect he put in a good word for me. My work apparently is to expensive to be used by Orlando news stations, but CNN knew they were getting what they paid for. These would be my only sales during the course of this month long trial. Otherwise, I was a volunteer citizen reporter with a sketchbook.

Sequestered away in the media room, we all wondered if the jury would be able  to reach a verdict on this first afternoon of deliberations. With over 64 bits of evidence and testimony to consider, that seemed unlikely to me. Reporters leaned into their laptops typing their copy for the day. I stood and drew them at work for the first time. Some reporters were in the hallway recording audio for broadcast. An intern was helping a radio reporter by reading some of the report into a microphone. He didn’t finish every task on point, but she was grateful for the help. Some reporters had been here since the beginning, following every nuance of the trial. Other reporters had been sent her at the last minute to be on hand to report the verdict only. I identified with certain reporters from Channel 9 News who felt a sense of ownership of the case, feeling it was best reported by locals who were most effected by the tragedy itself. Being in the media overflow courtroom with then each day I got to hear their opinions about how the trial was progressing.

Five o’clock approached and we all thought the jury might pull in a last minute verdict. It was past most reporters deadlines for the day’s report on the evening news. We were told that the jury might want to stay and order in food to deliberate late into the evening. If a reporter left to get dinner, they wouldn’t be able to get back into the court house for security reasons. Most security officers would go home for the night.  I was told that if the jury had decided to stay late, then a verdict was very close, but if Judge Byron insisted they they continue to deliberate then they were not close. I am not sure which was the case. While some reporters were scrambling to make take out orders, a court officer  entered the media room again and said that the jury had changed it’s mind. They were going home for the day. The jury deliberation would continue starting at 9 a.m. the next morning.

Jury Selected for Noor Salman Trial

Posted on by Thor

Judge Paul G. Byron interviewed one juror who was a motion graphics artist that works for the local news stations. He created a 3D model of Pulse and extensive motion graphics for the TV News coverage following the Pulse Nightclub massacre. This juror was excused for cause. In our media overflow courtroom, the reporters watched closely as the prospective juror left courtroom 4B. He was recognized as having worked for Channel 9 News. The great thing about sketching the trial from the media overflow courtroom is that I get to hear the opinions from News station legal analysts. In the end, however, the only opinions that matter are the opinions of the 12 jurors.

After a solid week of interviewing jurors and narrowing down the jury pool to 56 prospective jurors, the final process of picking the final individual was rather fast, taking less that 40 minutes. This process was referred to as Striking the Jury. The defense lawyers could strike 2 jurors off the list for every 1 juror the prosecutors struck form the list. Each lawyer used a different color marker to strike names from the list. No one in the media will ever know the names of anyone on the jury. Come Wednesday when the case begins, we will finally learn how many jurors are female and how many are male. I would think that the defense would want female jurors since they might sympathize with any reports that Omar Mateen mistreated Noor Salman, his wife. Up until today, I have avoided mentioning the gunman’s name in any of my posts about the horrific Pulse Nightclub mass shooting. With the case in full swing, I think I will have to mention his name often.

Fake Landlord Scam

Posted on by Thor

On Friday January 14th as I drove home after sketching on Virginia Drive, I was surprised to see a police car parked a block from my home, with its red and blue lights cutting into the night. A Channel 9 News van was parked behind the police cruiser. Several young men stood in the street with large black plastic bags piled near by, their heads bowed.

This McMansion was build in 2008 just before the Housing market crash which sent the country into a recession and resulted in countless foreclosures. After this 7 bedroom, 6.5 bathroom, 4242 square foot home was built, it remained vacant. It is estimated to be worth over $710,400 yet it was never sold. For the last five years the place has been abandoned. The grass turned into tall weeds and the pool became a green sludge. The neighborhood homeowners association seemed to ignore the buildings
abandoned state. Then again, abandoned, unmaintained, homes are now a common sight
throughout the neighborhood.

Kelly Wyatt moved in last week with her five sons signing a rental agreement to pay $1,800 a month. She paid $1,800 cash up front. The usual rent for a place this big would be close to $4,000 a month. She was told she was getting a deal if she would maintain the place. My wife saw one of the sons mowing the lawn for the first time in years. Dead tree branches were moved curbside for pick up. Kelly majored in the Visual and Performing Arts at Owens Community College in Toledo Ohio before moving to Florida. She is the CEO of Diversity Theater Company and works at Glasshouse Ministries as a chief executive officer.

Kelly called Channel 9 News when the sheriff’s office informed her that she had just three hours to leave the home she thought she was renting legally. Her family stayed in the 5501 Bay Side Drive Mansion just four or five nights before she was told she would have to leave. She was the victim of a scam. The real owners, Jody and Monica Mendelsen who live in a humble waterfront home in Plantation Florida, had no idea that anyone was living in their Bay Side home until the Orlando Sheriff’s department called.

The scam artist may have created fake identification papers in the Mendelsen’s name. The big mystery is how this fake landlord got the keys to the abandoned home. According to Kelly’s description he was about 5’10” tall, a bit heavy built, perhaps Indian with slightly grey hair and he drove a silver SUV. It is not clear if all the locks had been changed in the home or if the original home keys had been used. No one has been able to contact the fake landlord. Apparently this type of scam happens often.

Kelly, her five sons, a yellow Labrador and a cat were suddenly homeless.
“I feel like I have been robbed.” Wyatt said. The family had little in the way of possessions. There were a few suitcases, a couple of computers, a house plant, a box fan and clothes in plastic bags. There wasn’t any furniture to be moved. Most of her belonging were still in storage in Ohio. Apparently viewers of the Channel 9 News broadcast started calling the station offering assistance. I don’t know if this family has a roof over its head today.

As I sketched the home, I heard loud squeaks coming from inside like the sound of a basketball player’s sneakers on the polished floor boards.  The NBA finals were flickering onto TV screens across America. I finally realized the sound was of a fire detector with a dying battery. Once again the building was abandoned with no one to replace the battery, a symbol of false hope and greed.