The trial jurors in Raye Dawn's case would not immediately go to the jury assembly room during the breaks or before trial each day. Rather, they would congregate outside by the benches on either the west or east end of the courthouse--both smokers and nonsmokers alike. Essentially, the jurors were treated like everyone else.
The jury trial of Raye Dawn was a media frenzy with news reporters literally chasing people in and out of the courthouse each day in an effort to obtain information or attempt to conduct interviews with trial witnesses and family members. There were easily 15 news reporters and at least seven cameramen present each day. There was not a day when there was less than a dozen reporters even when it was raining outside.
The courtroom was at least three quarters full most days, and as more and more people testified or were released from their trial subpoenas it became more crowded each day. For the majority of the trial, 15 news reporters were inside the courtroom and at least 10 of those filled the first row each day of the proceedings while a few sat farther back. Each day, there were approximately 60 to 75 people inside the courtroom watching the proceedings. Many of Kathie's followers were present as well.
I observed Kathie during several days of the trial, while proceedings were in progress, pass notes to the Assistant District Attorney or another woman assisting the prosecution. Kathie used members of the news media as intermediaries in order to pass these notes to the prosecution.
Satellite trucks, i.e. tractor trailer rigs, would come from Oklahoma City from at least two television news channels each day. They would set up around 10:30 a.m. for the live broadcast at noon. Again, jurors that congregated at the benches at lunchtime could hear the noon broadcast and interviews conducted by the news media with members of the Briggs family.
I observed members of the jury eating in the same room with members of the news media. Other restaurants where I saw members of the jury and people from the news media eating and interacting together included a Subway and a Mexican restaurant.
The final day of the trial, the courtroom was packed. It was standing room only the last day. People who had not been present in previous days were present the last day of trial.
The news media would interview the Briggs family right in front of the jurors seated on the bench or congregated just outside the front entrance of the courtroom. Just a few feet away, and certainly within hearing distance of the jurors congregated outside, the news media interviewed witnesses that were subpoenaed for trial by the prosecution, including the biological father of Kelsey, Lance, and the paternal grandmother, Kathie. Media interviews were conducted throughout the thrial in front of the jury. The media also interviewed the spokesperson for the Briggs family, Jay Sigman, during the trial several times. At least one member of the Briggs family was on the news each night.
After Lance was escorted out of the trial room and cited for misconduct, he spent his time lounging in lawn chairs with the news media on the front lawn of the courthouse. Again, only a few feet away was the jury when they took their breaks.
The cameramen who were banned by the sheriff from being inside the courthouse after the first day of trial took pictures through the windows and glass doors of the courthouse.
The Smith family stayed on the east end of the courthouse while most of the media and jurors congregated on the west end.
The news media would chase Raye Dawn and her mother inside the courthouse each morning. On this east end of the courthouse, several of the jurors would also congregate each morning. There is a smoking area and a soda machine on this east end. The news media would take pictures of Raye Dawn and her mother as they got out of the car each morning. And with jurors standing by, the news media would yell out to Raye Dawn questions, including, "Why did you kill your baby?" and "Why did you punch Kelsey?"
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