Summative Assessment: Criminal Trial Process

The criminal trial process has many components. In this assessment, you explore real-life examples of the criminal trial process in 2 different types of trials.

Search the Internet for trials using parameters such as, but not limited to, “watch criminal trials online,” or visit the Wild About Trial website.

Compare 2 trials. If possible, compare a murder trial with one involving another major felony. Include the parties represented in each trial (i.e., plaintiff and defendant).

Write 350- to 700-word comparison in which you:

1. Summarize what each trial was about.
2. Identify the type of court the trials were held in. Refer to Ch. 1 for types of courts in the United States.
3. Describe as many of the steps of each trial as you can. Refer to Ch. 13 for the steps/process.
4. Explain the similarities and differences between the 2 trials you selected.
5. Identify as many of the actors of each trial as you can who played a role in the steps of the trial process. What were their roles?

Cite a minimum of 2 sources (one source for each trial).
Format your assignment according to APA guidelines. Align the margins one inch on the left and one inch on the right. Do Not Center the paper.

ANSWER

Summative Assessment: Criminal Trial Process

One of the most highly controversial criminal cases of the history of the US, is the trial of O.J Simpson. The case created a media frenzy such that the parties involved in the case including the judge Lance Ito turned into celebrities. The case attracted a lot of attention as Simpson was a former NFL player (Sayers, 2020). He was accused of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and his wife’s friend Ronald Goldman. The case dragged on for months as controversies arose and accusations of the crime scene being contaminated and planting of evidence were made by the defense team. The jury selection was also highly controversial and, the case trial aired on many media houses. The trial led to risen tension as it was divided along racial lines with African Americans supporting Mr. Simpson and the white community supporting prosecution and claiming that Mr. Simpson was guilty of the murder.

Another incredibly controversial trial is one involving American R&B singer R. Kelly. R. Kelly was charged and found guilty of several charges involving sexual assault and interstate sex trafficking (Petri & Fondren, 2021). He was found guilty on all counts- one charge of racketeering which placed him at the head if a criminal ring that preyed on young women and eight counts if trafficking women across state lines for prostitution. The victims of R. Kelly testified having been targeted by the pop star in either malls or one of his concerts with the promise that he would mentor them in their musical career which they would pay back with sex. The victims said that the pop star kept them under stringent rules and ordered them to call him “daddy.” Those who disobeyed his orders were punished with degrading sexual acts. The defense however, tried to present to the jury that the women were angry jilted lovers and groupies who were out for revenge.

The R. Kelly trial was carried out in the federal court house in Brooklyn. The Simpson case was tried in the Los Angeles County superior court. Bot trials followed the criminal trial process which involves the presentation of open statements of both sides. In the O.J Simpson case, both sides presented the opening statements with the prosecution asking the jury not to be swayed by race. The defense attorneys also presented the their opening statements stating that they were going to prove that the defendant was not involved in the crime and that prosecution had only accused him based on his past history which was not the point of the trial. The R. Kelly trail involved an anonymous jury. The victims of abuse presented their horror stories to the court which the defense attorneys tried to counter stating that they were only seeking to tarnish the pop star’s name.

The similarities between both trials is that they both involved a jury. They were also criminal cases involving two famous people. In both cases the defendants were denied bailed and ad to sit in jail as they awaited trial. There are also a wide variety of differences between both cases as one involved sex trafficking and sexual assault charges and the other was a murder trial (Petri & Fondren, 2021). The O.J Simpson case involved two charges of murder which is murder in the first degree ad murder in the second degree. The R. Kelly case however, involved a wide range of charges. The charges involved sex trafficking, racketeering and more charges kept being added to his already tarnished name. The other major difference between the two is that in the R. Kelly case, the jury found him guilty of all charges while O.J Sampson was found innocent of all the charges. O.J Simpson was however arrested and charged on a different robbery case in in Nevada Vegas.

The judge involved the case was Judge Ann M. Donnelly. The criminal trial process of R. Kelly involved prosecution which involved Maria Cruz Melendez who offered the opening statements, the U.S assistant attorney. The prosecution also involved Nadia Shihata who questioned Kelly’s doctor ion the diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases. The defense team involved Nicole Blank Becker Kelly’s attorney, Deveraux Cannick, Thomas Farinella, the leading attorney. The actors involved in the Simpson case involved Judge Lance Ito. The prosecution involved attorneys Marcia Clark and William Hodgman and later Darden. The defense team of O.J Simpson also known as the “dream team” involved, F. Lee Bailey, Robert Blasier, Shawn Chapman Holley, Robert Shapiro, and Alan Dershowitz. They were later joined by Johnnie Cochran who became the lead attorney. Other major players in the O.J Simpson case involved police officers in the scene and the detective Fuhrman whose racism and sexism led to the acquittal of O.J Simpson.

References

Petri, A & Fondren P. (2021). 12 anonymous jurors decided the R.Kelly case. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/nyregion/jurors-r-kelly-trial.html

Sayers, H. (2020). If the Suit Doesn’t Fit: Marcia Clark and the OJ Simpson Trial. Women Leading Change: Case Studies on Women, Gender, and Feminism, 5(1), 48-59.