Official wants state to offer juror therapy
Courtscases cause issues for some

By Jay F. Marks

Published: October 6, 2008

Rampant drug use. An illogical vendetta. Senseless violence, taken to extremes.

A jury of 12 Oklahoma County residents spent nearly three weeks dealing with those issues during the trial of Gilbert Ray Postelle, who was convicted in the 2004 killings of four people.

One juror was plagued by nightmares during the trail, her husband told the Oklahoma County district attorney’s office. He started attending the trial to reassure her, giving her a familiar face to turn to when things got tough.

"It doesn’t happen that often, but it does happen,” District Attorney David Prater said.

Prater said he would favor a program offering counseling to jurors, but nothing like that is available in Oklahoma County. He said the criminal justice system owes that kind of consideration to jurors in violent cases.

Even though there are no programs in Oklahoma, District Judge Ray Elliott said most criminal judges in Oklahoma County talk to jurors after a trial so they can express their feelings or ask questions.

"I think it works,” he said.

Viol represented an Oklahoma City man accused of child rape in an October 2006 trial that included a homemade videotape of the man having sex with a young boy.

One member of the jury that convicted Viol’s client ended up in counseling.

"In my opinion, it is a problem that should be addressed before the presentation of evidence during voir dire in difficult cases — not after the verdict is rendered,” Viol said.

Comments