Witness Statements in Raye's First Appeal 5

I observed members of the Briggs family and several female jurors smoking and sitting together on the benches at the front entrance. This went on several days during the trial. The news media was always clsoe by. Every day at break time, there would be a big congregation of people at the front entrance. It was primarily the female jurors that sat outside on the benches, usually four or five female jurors.

One day, the sheriff's deputies moved the news media across the street. This did not last long and by that afternoon, they were back over on the front lawn camped under the big shade tree. Several cameramen took pictures and captured video through the windows and glass doors of the courthouse since they were not allowed inside. I specifically remember the cameramen doing this the day Mike Porter tesitfied.

Pictures of Raye Dawn and her mother, Gayla, were taken by the security camera inside the courthouse and leaked to the press. I observed news reporters yelling out very negative comments toward Raye Dawn, comments that implied they believed she was guilty. This video footage and the news reporters' comments were broadcast on the evening news.

I had served on three criminal juries before and I was surprised at how loose the judge was with confining the jury. During my prior jury service, we used restrooms that were inside the jury assembly room. If we wanted something to drink, someone would get it for us. The jury in Raye Dawn's case used the same restroom as everyone else. There was a time when I was in the restroom with a couple of the male jurors. They ate at the same restaurants as everyone else. They took smoke breaks with members of the Briggs family and persons from the news media. Moreover, I was dumbfounded at how fast the jury was selected. It only took a half a day to pick the jury. With this being such a high-profile case, I thought the jury selection would have taken longer and I thought the jurors would have had stricter requirements.

Every juror during jury selection claimed not to have heard anything about the case in the media prior to trial. A few said they heard something about a trial on the news that morning. Neither the attorneys nor the judge seemed to explore the issue any further after the jurors claimed not to have heard anything. This was clearly not the truth. Michelle Reeves, one of the female jurors, was interviewed after the verdict was returned. She made statements in this television interview that indicated she had receieved information from somewhere besides inside the courtroom. For instance, she said that the child was dead before Raye Dawn ever left the house. This evidence was never presented at trial. I remember specifically that she was one of the jurors that sat outside on the benches with the Briggs family and the news media during the trial.

Although the judge cautioned the jury every day not to discuss the case with others or watch the television, listen to the radio, or read the newspaper, it was impossible for those jurors that sat outside the benches not to hear the media interviews conducted with the Briggs family.