Posted on 08/24/2026 5:39:56 AM PDT by V_TWIN
The U.S. court system is 100% broken, and nothing shows that fact better than this case out of Pennsylvania.
Safon Gump was accused of fatally shooting Gregory Prince, but the trial that would have brought justice to Gump derailed because one of the jurors got high in the jury room.
Because Gump remains in custody — and court rules prohibit jurors from seeing a defendant in handcuffs for fear it could prejudice them — jurors were returned to their fifth-floor room to await the all clear to leave for lunch.
When Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski's tipstaff arrived to release the jurors, Seman said, ‘He's immediately hit with the smell of marijuana.'
Then, one of the jurors ‘looked at him and said, 'It wasn't me."'
This is where things really went off the rails.
The prosecution and the defense both agreed that if the juror had a prescription it was fine, and the judge said no one would be in trouble for the incident, but all the jurors also swore that they were not taking any medications that could affect their judgment in the case, so the judge needed to figure out who it was.
One by one, the jurors were brought to the judge's chambers privately and questioned.
They all answered no in chambers, as well.
The judge also asked the jurors if anyone had ingested anything legally or illegally while in the jury room.
‘All of them denied it,' Seman said.
The defense asked for a mistrial and the judge agreed to it.
Another potential murderer is back out on the streets — at least, until March, when they'll try a trial again.
(Excerpt) Read more at notthebee.com ...
Lets see.
Right to trial by jury
A jury not under the influence of a federally illegal substance
Innocent until proven guilty
Right to reasonable bail amount
Right to be free on bail as a innocent citizen until the state proves beyond a reasonable doubt your guilt enough to get a unanimous decision and only then are you to be sentenced also by a jury of your peers.
These system worked in this case perfectly a juror committed a crime and made the whole pool tainted because they could not prove who it was.
It would be a travesty of justice to allow this jury to proceed and any appeal Court should and would grant the demand of a retrial so the right thing to do is declare a mistrial and start a fresh jury pool.
Justice has been served for now in the proper way.
I see what you did up there.
(Given that is Phiily, very likely bro’s coming up an excuse for the judge and DA to throw out the trial for their bro.)
*jurors
🙄
That would likely be most of them.
Hey! I represent that remark!
You just proved your NOT one 😁
Gee some wonder why thigs are going to s**t at a high rate of speed.
Stoners tile head
Certainly a unique way to get out if jury duty that’s for.
‘way back in 8th grade “Civics” class, we made all kinds of jokes about what a “Joint Session of Congress” really involved.
Some get a good nap in when on duty?.
Some get a good nap in when on duty?.
put them all in jail
You meant an officer of the court. A ward of the court is a minor or an incapacitated adult placed under legal guardianship under a court's supervision.
Yes thank you for the correction 👍
Nope. It was Allegheny County. Philadelphia is a distinct county unto itself.
Will there be enough doobies to go around for the next jury?
Wait just a minute.......I just turned 64
I just turned 66.....what’s your point? 😁
Well, I’m not grumpy
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