Thursday, June 7, 2012

Jury Goes On Vacation; Bill Brennan, Vernon Odom Play Godfather Trivia

It's getting strange down at the courthouse, folks.

After a 10-week trial, the jury in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia sex abuse case has decided they need some time off for family events, like graduations. So on Thursday, after Judge M. Teresa Sarmina approved their request, jurors walked out of Courtroom 304, to get an early start on a long weekend.

The jury of seven men and five women that began deliberating last Friday afternoon are off this Friday. On Monday, they'll be coming in around 1 p.m. and hopefully put in a full afternoon, before they are scheduled to leave around 4:30 p.m. On Tuesday, they're expected to deliberate again, but Wednesday, they're off, and Friday they're off again.


So if they go the full route on Tuesday and Thursday, the jury will deliberate at most 2 1/2 days next week.

Usually, juries measure their time in terms of minutes and hours, and can't get out the door fast enough. But this jury seems to be digging in for the long haul. They've already ordered a marker board and an easel. Lunch today was from Chick-fil-A. This could take a while.

"I've never seen anything like it," said one veteran courtroom observer, who left the Criminal Justice Center shaking his head.

The jury didn't ask any questions of the judge. Meanwhile, journalists were camped out in the courtroom from The New York Times, the CBS Evening News, CNN, Reuters, AP, The Philadelphia Inquirer, NBC 10, CBS 3, 6ABC, and Fox 29.

The only event the press corps got to cover was the judge announcing the jury's long weekend. After the jury was dismissed, William J. Brennan, the lawyer for defendant Father James J. Brennan, was on his way out the door when he saw an old friend, Vernon Odom of Action News.

Brennan took a seat in front of Odom and soon, the two were deep in conversation. From the bench, Judge Sarmina reminded Brennan that she had a gag order still in effect that's supposed to prevent lawyers in the case from talking to the press.

"Judge, I've known him for 25 years," Odom said, before explaining that he and Odom weren't discussing the case, they were playing Godfather trivia.

Brennan stumped Odom when he asked who played Clemenza. Odom could not recall Richard Castellano.

But the wily Odom got back in the ballgame when he asked Brennan who played Al Neri. Brennan couldn't remember Richard Bright.

As the judge glowered disapprovingly, the two men were overheard talking about Barzini and Tattaglia as they left the courtroom, discussing a rubber match.


19 comments

  1. I am really glad to see that the jury is taking this so seriously and giving this decision the gravity it deserves. It is impressive and encouraging. There is so much ground to cover with all the evidence given and that will definitely take time. I can not say that I would be surprised with the decision going either way. But I am hopeful that the jury will see the truth and find both guilty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't get it. What takes so long to show that Lynn is guilty? He knew about 35 child rapists and let them roam free. He could have alerted the police. He could have done something despite the orders of his satanic boss, Bevilacqua, whose body should be dug up and thrown in a porta potty.

      What kind of coward leaves child rapists free to rape other children? He is so guilty, and the jury should have decided that by now. However, if there is 1 Catholic on the jury who decides that he will do what his bishops would do instead of What Jesus Would Do....

      Delete
  2. It didn't take long this afternoon for lawyer Brennan and the judge to tangle. Isn't he the lawyer who was eating something while addressing the judge? She gently but clearly affirmed her expectation of no eating in court, even candy. And then there was the Brennan - Odom incident. Both instances were disrespectful to the court by Brennan.

    I couldn't help but watch defendant Father Brennan. As everyone was leaving court, he was outside the courtroom doors, greeting people like Det. Walsh, as they left, like Brennan had JUST finished celebrating mass and was greeting the parishioners at the exit. Grrrr.

    Msgr Lynn, his blood pressure must be off the charts, or is his red-faced complexion like today normal. I guess if you are on edge waiting for your judgement, it is understandable. Maybe now he has a slight idea what it is like for victims waiting for the church officials to take action to remove predator priests from ministry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. all the priests can give Lynn his standing ovations and everything else, but I would like to put all of them in the shoes of the little children they sacrificed for the "Good of the Church". They cannot know what they have done.

      Delete
  3. I wouldn't even play Godfather trivia with someone who couldn't identify Castellano. He could have also said Bruno Kirby who played young Clemenza in Godfather II.

    I am surprised no verdict by today.

    ReplyDelete
  4. When I was on a few juries I was fasinated how many loved the free lunch and kept it going. Of course Frisco has a better deal than Philly's Chick Fil A.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The fact that they have deliberated this long is proof that it is a BS case filed just to get media headlines for the prosecutor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Really, Rufus? So the whole business about hiding child rapists is no big deal to you, huh?

      Delete
  6. Who wants to form a group to lobby to get the Pope arrested when he comes to Philadelphia in 2015?

    Anyone?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THey shoudl just send Seal Team 6 into the Vatican to eliminate him just like the eliminated Bin Laden.

      Delete
    2. Kneel allen or should I say heel allen.
      Nice way to win Catholics to the victims side. Murder the Pope? And you pretend to be sane?

      Delete
  7. Just for the heck of it, I started a group to Arrest the Pope in Philadelphia in 2015 on Facebook:
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/253006011467932/

    ReplyDelete
  8. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20120605_Chaput__Priest_sex-abuse_scandal_to_cost_more_than__11_million.html?viewAll=y

    I am amazed that the Vatican is even considering using Philadelphia for this 2015 Celebration of the Family. Are they totally stupid? Do they not see the insult of promenading their idea of the family in the location where so much abuse has occurred? I am appalled!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not. They're in Ireland for the Eucharistic congress right now.

      http://mobile.philly.com/news/?wss=/philly/news/religion/&id=158388645

      Delete
    2. You should be appalled. But the Church always manages to get attractive young people whipped into a frenzy of Pope worship. And always in front of the media. Let's remember that right after the truth broke in Boston, Ratzinger celebrated his damned birthday in Bush's White House. We are through the looking glass here people. Child rapists hidden to rape again and their enabler, read pimp, is celebrated in the White House. You've got to love the Republicans. There is no low to which they will not stoop.

      Delete
  9. Wow 73 members of the Facebook group already... maybe we can make something happen there. A demonstration? Street theater? We have two plus years to put something together...

    It's an open group, anyone can join: http://www.facebook.com/groups/253006011467932/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Obviously, the Catholic defense lawyers know a lot about organized crime, like the Catholic organized crime of rampant child rape, but its a shame they didn't learn anything about the honor that the Italian mafia has.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And the Mafia has honor?

      This gets better and better.

      Delete
  11. "They're walking around that shopping complex until 11, 12 o'clock at night unsupervised," said Officer Bob Fey. "12, 13, 14 years old when you've got 17,18, 19 year olds walking around possibly looking to prey on your child." Virginia Vacations

    ReplyDelete

Thoughtful commentary welcome. Trolling, harassing, and defaming not welcome. Consistent with 47 U.S.C. 230, we have the right to delete without warning any comments we believe are obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.