Jurors on a Death Penalty Case

One of the most intense group task experiences in the United States is that of serving on the jury of a death penalty case. This forces a group of complete strangers to come together and determine the fate of another’s human beings life. The court case of the State of Ohio v Mark Ducic, was of no exception. Ducic a 47 year old drug addict white male, was accused of committing a double homicide. In accordance with Ohio state law, murdering more than one individual is considered a mass murder and therefore the accused is subject to the possibility of the death penalty. Ducic’s victims included Barbara Davis, his domestic partner and drug addict, as well as a drug user that Ducic was an acquaintance with. The death of Davis was at first believed to be due to an overdose, but police informants identified Ducic’s voice on a recording claiming that he killed her. The other victim, the drug addict, was thought to be eliminated by Ducic for fear that he would inform the police that he killed Davis. Investigators believed that Ducic gave both victims a deathly amount of drugs that would make it appear as though they both simply overdosed. Ducic was found guilty on both occasions, yet a second trial in regards to his sentencing had to occur and another hearing had to be conducted on whether or not to remove the death penalty.
As one of the seven jury deliberations documented and recorded in the ABC News television series In the Jury Room the discussions of the jurors were able to be seen throughout the United States. A transcript was also created by ABC News for the public as well. The emotions and interactions of the jurors were now capable of being portrayed to anyone interested in the interworkings of jury deliberations. The first task,...

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...ive years to thirty years is nothing he could do with the world because the way it’s changing now. He will be a stranger waling out of here. Who is going to listen to an old man? Now he going to do good. He can write a book while he in there, you know. And if you wondered about coming back here, he doesn’t even want to. Don’t anybody want to be here twenty- five years not the way things are going now.
Juror 12: I disagree because a lot of people do go to the schools that are older, and educate people that don’t have no clue who they are. Be it grandmothers, whatever, and I want to just…
Juror 8: You are speculating that” (State of Ohio v. Mark Ducic, ln 1666-1679).

Works Cited

Aggravated murder: death penalty sentencing phase deliberations state of Ohio v. mark Ducic
Bicks, M. (Director). (2004). In the jury room: The State of Ohio vs Mark Ducic: ABC News.