News: No Jury Duty For Alleged Medford Shooter
(Long Island, N.Y.) The man suspected of murdering four people in the robbery of Haven Drugs Pharmacy in Medford has informed a Suffolk County Official of his scheduled jury duty. The Suffolk County Commissioner of Jurors received a letter from the alleged killer in regards to his potential service as a juror. The suspected gunman claimed that he wouldn’t be able to serve on a jury due to “very serious felony charges.”
The Suffolk County Commissioner of Jurors confirmed the suspect’s potential service, which was scheduled to begin on June 28th. He claimed that he will honor the suspect’s request advising him of his inability to serve. The suspect was supposed to be on call for jury duty just days after his arrest for the Medford robbery/shooting.
The letter was dated on June 28th and it informed the Suffolk County Commissioner of Jurors that he had been arrested as of June 23rd. The letter also stated that he had been detained at the Riverhead Correctional Facility. It is uncertain whether the suspect had written the letter after being influenced by legal advisors and it is possible he wrote the request on his own accord.
The letter was handwritten on lined paper in black print with a scripted signature underneath his name. He signed the letter with a simple “Sincerely.” He expressed that his motivation for writing the request was to avoid getting into further legal troubles. Followers of the case have wondered whether the letter could be seen as a desperate attempt to sway the jury and further his mistaken identity defense.
The letter was written in neat handwriting with a slant and many have claimed that the lettering appeared childish or even like that of a serial killer. The Suffolk County Commissioner of Jurors received the letter on Wednesday, making many followers of the case question the delay. It is uncertain what caused the county official to receive the letter over a week after it was written.
Despite being handwritten, the letter was professional-looking and equipped with a heading. The suspect indented and used accurate punctuation and spelling. He included a “To:”, “From:”, and “Re:” and the date above his message.
If the suspect had gotten out on bail he could have been eligible to serve as a potential juror for Suffolk County Courts. However, once suspects have been convicted of a felony they are considered ineligible to serve as jurors. Jury duty dodgers are subject to charges and can be picked up by the County Sheriff’s Office.
