[conspire] (forw) Re: [Evals] Hans Reiser found guilty

[Breen Mullins]

* Mark Weisler <mark at weisler-saratoga-ca.us> [2008-04-28 20:19 -0700]:

>This seems like some obscene popularity contest as to whether the jury likes 
>the defendant.

Of course it is. That has always been so, here and in England and
whereever trial by jury is the law of the land. 

It's not necessarily fair, and may not be just. But a minority defendant
has an uphill battle. And one as obviously out of step with the current
social norms as Hans Reiser apparently is may have even a greater problem. 

I'm not especially surprised at the verdict (although the first-degree
murder conviction did surprise me) because I always had the idea that 
Hans's unpleasant personality would have been part of what the
prosecution was counting on to secure a verdict.

-- 
Breen Mullins
Menlo Park, California