Jurors Open Hearts (And Wallets) To Help Out Crime Victim

Jurors are often thought of as impartial and disinterested evaluators, but one jury in Fort Worth, TX recently reminded us that jurors are not only sympathetic, they can sometimes demonstrate that sympathy in tangible ways too:

On Friday afternoon, a Tarrant County jury sentenced an Azle woman to five years in prison and assessed a $10,000 fine for stealing a mentally impaired man’s life savings. But they didn’t stop there. Jurors decided after the trial that they wanted to donate money to 58-year-old Johnny Bryant to help him recoup some of his loss. Most were going to start with the $166 they received for their jury service.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my 44 years of law practice,” said prosecutor Joe Shannon, who fired off a personal check for $250 for the fund. “They know that the guy has been wronged and they wanted to right it a little bit.”

In a world where bad news hits us every day on the front page and the nightly news, a story like this completely warmed my heart. I hope you enjoy it too.

Link – via Digg