HOUSTON – It’s a rare feat to serve on a jury in a murder trial.
Houstonian, 41-year-old Travis Brown, already accomplished it in 2012 when he was among 12 jurors who found a defendant guilty of murder.
“It was murder one, so it included the guilty or not guilty phase. We did render a guilty verdict, and then we went into the punishment phase, and that was an additional day and a half, as well,” Brown said.
That particular trial was not a capital case, and was not a well-known news item, although it involved a love triangle.
The death penalty was off the table in that 2012 case so the verdict was a stiff prison sentence.
After that once-in-a-lifetime experience, Brown never dreamed he would be a part of another murder trial. But, for two days, Brown played a role in the most talked about trial in Houston at the moment... the A.J. Armstrong murder retrial.
Brown said that this time around, the selection process was clearly more involved and professional, but also invasive.
Brown made it to the last day before being cut as prospective juror #131. Sixteen others will serve, which includes four alternate jurors, more than usual.
“So, for me personally, you know, I’m glad I didn’t make the jury on this particular one. Like I said, having served on a murder trial as a juror before, it was interesting, and I have an appreciation for the process, you know, the expertise of all the stakeholders in the room. It was truly interesting, and it was an honor to be part of something that’s so American. But, all that said, you know, having done that once and getting the experience, you know, with what I have going on in my personal life, I wasn’t necessarily too excited about it,” Brown said.
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