Opening Statements

After Jury selection the trail began with opening statements from the respective sides. The judge gave a brief description of the English tradition behind the procedure and we were off and running.

First, the prosecution presented their case. The prosecution was represented by Assistant AG Flashner. AAG Flashner was a man in his mid 40s who seemed to take pride in being a bit of an arrogant prick. He looked vaguely like Will Arnett and he had a personality that suggested to me the kid in high school who is panic stricken to the point of tears when he realizes that his classmates are using marijuana.

Flashner had also watched way too many fucking episodes of Law and Order. Rather than simply talking about the killing Flashner found it necessary to create a complex narrative about "Choices and Consequences". I think his reasoning being that the jury was too dumb, to ignorant or too inattentive to draw any conclusions on their own. He went on for about 20 minutes telling us that while the situation was sad, it was ultimately the choice if Aasim and Eugene to enter the apartment.

Next to present was Eugene's attorney, Counselor Murphy. Murphy was an ornery old blue blood Bostonian with a think accent and rosatia to max. Like a less dignified Ted Kennedy his opening statement was 15 minutes of hot blooded yelling. I honestly cannot remember anything about what he said except that it was delivered with a passion and outrage that made it hard not to laugh.

Finally Aasim's lawyer presented. Aasim's lawyer, counselor Weymouth was by far the most collected. He acted with a reverence and respect for his client, the jury and the law and made everyone sit up and pay attention. Weymouth countered Flashner's long winded fable about choices and consequences with a much simpler narrative. He told us briefly and with compassion about his client, who was 15 at the time of Cleo's killing. About a boy who had never known his mother.

We were all taken aback by what we had just seen, but it did not prepare us at all for hearing from Jeanine Teixeira, the boys mother and the deceased's girlfriend.