Justice Visits The Jury

Trial 1

Cologne Innsbruck watched the Rape Trial of his male friend seething with anger. He had seen this movie before and it did not end well. The younger brother of Cologne was wrongly charged with rape. No matter how many times Little Brother told the authorities that he was not guilty, that he was the victim of a false complaint, deaf ears greeted him. The criminal law trial of his little brother ended with him being convicted of rape and sentenced to eight (8) years in gaol.

His Little Brother appealed his conviction and subsequently the Court of Appeal rendered its judgement acquitting him of the charge. The Court of Appeal further recommending that the Female Complainant be charged with:

• Making a False Complaint; and

• Attempting To Pervert The Course of Justice . 

Unfortunately that morning shortly before the Court of Appeal judgement was delivered, a lunatic at the prison where Little Brother was incarcerated killed the brother of Cologne Innsbruck.

Trial 2

As Cologne Innsbruck watched Rape Trial 2, this one involving his friend in similar circumstances to that of his Little Brother, none of his 500 gazillion shades of angry had dissipated.

Again the Rape Trial 2 accused friend of Cologne Innsbruck said he was not guilty and that he was a victim of a false complaint.

This gruesome history motivated Cologne Innsbruck to gain access to the courthouse before the Rape Trial 2 started and acquire a copy of the jury list. Innsbruck also rigged up a bomb to the jury box prior to the jury delivering its verdict.

On verdict day Cologne was taking no chances. He had audio to the inside of the courthouse connected, but he was not present at the court. He was proximate to the court when his audio conveyed the verdict of guilty. Cologne Innsbruck did not flinch. He immediately detonated the bomb.

The courtroom was a scene of chaos. The explosion had ripped through the jury box, leaving a trail of destruction, including fire in the courtroom. Shards of glass and splintered wood littered the floor. Screams echoed through the courtroom, as panicked onlookers scrambled to safety.

Police, fire services and ambulance attended the scene. Among the injured, six (6) jurors lay motionless, their fates were sealed. The remaining six (6) jurors, shaken and traumatised, were ushered out of the courtroom.

Upon hearing the explosion, Cologne Innsbruck departed from his location proximate to the courthouse and went home.

The False Confession

In the aftermath of the bomb attack, a man named Clouseau Carlos was arrested and charged with the bombing. A quiet, unassuming individual, Clouseau Carlos had a history of mental illness and minor criminal offences. Public opinion quickly turned against him, painting him as a deranged killer.

The arrest and charging of Clouseau Carlos for the courthouse bombing was a convenient development for Cologne Innsbruck and one he would do nothing to upset.

Juror 7: Davies

Juror 7 was driving home from work and approaching a rail crossing. The radio in his motor vehicle was broadcasting the news and the item that interested him involved Clouseau Carlos, the man charged with the bombing of the courthouse and the killing of six (6) jurors. The news broadcast revealed that it was an unremarkable administrative mention of the case in court and the case was adjourned to a later date.

Juror 7 had had no contact with the remaining five (5) other jurors and he wanted to put the experience of the subject Rape Trial and its aftermath behind him. The news of the bombing court case did not help him in that regard. He started to have flashbacks of both the trial and of the bombing and its aftermath. His thinking became chaotic and he felt he wanted to escape his current situation.

The train was clearly approaching the crossing where Juror 7 was stopped. The noise of the train added to the chaotic thinking of Juror 7. Instead of waiting at the crossing for the train to pass, the chaotic mind of Juror 7 told him:

“We have to get out of here”

and his response was to crash his motor vehicle through the boom gate and try to drive to the other side of the rail tracks.

He failed miserably and drove straight into the path of the speeding train.

The chaotic response of Juror 7 proved fatal. His collision with the speeding train ended his life. Consequently, more drama and chaos surrounded Juror 7, as police ambulance and fire services were required to attend the scene and deal with the fallout from the collision. No other fatalities resulted from the collision and there were no apparent injuries to anyone on the train.

Such a dramatic event naturally attracted media attention and it was a lead story for many news bulletins for the rest of that day and the following day. Consequently the remaining five (5) jurors from the trial became aware of the plight of Juror 7 and they had their own uncomfortable memory experiences.

Cologne Innsbruck listened to that news bulletin with some interest and, mildly surprised, with almost detached amusement, he said to himself at its conclusion:

“Well, how about that.”

Juror 8: Arthur Henderson

The meticulous accountant, Juror 8, found his normally sharp mind increasingly clouded by anxiety. The image of the bombed courtroom and the news of the demise of Juror 7 played on a loop in his thoughts, eroding his focus.

Usually a sanctuary of order, the office building of Juror 8 now felt fraught with unseen dangers. The hum of computers and the drone of conversations seemed to amplify his paranoia. He battled to concentrate on his work, the numbers on his screen blurring as his mind drifted to the "cursed" jury.

One afternoon, a critical deadline loomed, adding to his already considerable stress. He rose to retrieve a vital file from a storage room, his mind completely consumed by a vivid flashback of the explosion.

He approached a doorway he believed led to the storage area, his gaze distant. However, the door had been removed for maintenance, leaving a gaping, unguarded elevator shaft. A temporary barrier, consisting of a flimsy strip of caution tape, had been dislodged and lay unnoticed on the floor.

Lost in his terrifying memories, Juror 8 walked forward, expecting solid ground. The sudden emptiness, the horrifying drop into the blackness, registered only as his foot met air.

On her first week at the firm, a young intern, Sarah, happened to be passing by. A flicker of movement caught her eye – a man walking directly towards the open shaft, his eyes vacant. She cried out a warning, lunging forward with a desperate, instinctive reach.

"Mister! Stop!" Her voice was a strangled cry of alarm.

Her outstretched hand grasped only the air where his arm had been moments before. With a sickening lurch, Juror 8 stepped into the void.

Sarah stood frozen, her hand still outstretched, a silent scream trapped in her throat, as she watched in horror to see Juror 8 plummet down the twenty-five (25) stories of the empty elevator shaft. The sickening thud that echoed moments later confirmed the irreversible tragedy.

The scene that followed was one of chaos and disbelief. Screams erupted. Colleagues rushed to the edge of the shaft, peering into the darkness. The sterile office air was thick with shock and the dawning realisation of a senseless death.

The incident was immediately classified as a tragic workplace accident, a result of negligence regarding the unguarded shaft. An investigation was launched, safety protocols were frantically reviewed, and a pall of grief descended over the office.

News of the "fatal accident" at the downtown office building, identifying the victim as Arthur Henderson (Juror 8), became another grim headline.

Cologne Innsbruck was at home alone preparing dinner for himself on the evening of the death of Juror 8. The news was playing in the background on his television, but it was not his primary interest.

The report of the death of Juror 8 then came on the news bulletin and it caught his attention.

At the conclusion of the report he said out loud to himself:

“Well, that is interesting news.”

Jurors 9-12 Get Together

After Juror 9 heard of the news of the "fatal workplace accident" of Arthur Henderson (Juror 8), he contacted jurors 10-12 to organise a meeting. They agreed and met shortly thereafter at the residence of Juror 9.

In the dimly lit apartment of Juror 9, a video recording of the news report about the death of Juror 8, Arthur Henderson, played softly on a nearby television. Jurors 10, 11, and 12 sat around a cluttered table, their faces etched with worry and exhaustion.

Juror 9 (voice trembling slightly): Did you ... did you all see the news? About Henderson?

(A sombre nod from Juror 10, a nervous fidgeting from Juror 11, and a wide-eyed stare from Juror 12.)

Juror 9: It ... it cannot be another accident, can it? First Davies driving into a train, now Henderson ... falling down an elevator shaft? Both just days after the bombing?

Juror 11 (voice barely a whisper): It is ... it's like we are cursed.

Juror 10 (trying to sound rational, but his voice betrays his unease): That is ridiculous. These are just ... terrible coincidences. Stress can make people careless.

Juror 12 (eyes darting around the room): But two (2)? So close together? And the way the news described it ... Henderson just walked ... right into it. Like he was not even looking.

Juror 9: That is what I thought. Davies ... the news said he just drove straight through the boom gates. It is not normal behaviour. They were both on our jury.

Juror 11: What if ... what if the bomber... what if he is not finished? What if he is coming after us? But how? These look like accidents.

Juror 12: Maybe ... maybe it is not the bomber. Maybe ... maybe it is something else. Something ... unseen.

Juror 10: Do not be ridiculous. There is no such thing as curses. We need to be logical. We should go to the police. Tell them what we think.

Juror 9: And tell them what? That we think we are cursed? They will think we are all losing our minds. Especially after ... after the confession of Clouseau Carlos.

Juror 11: But we can not just sit here and wait to see who is next!

(A heavy silence falls over the group, the weight of their fear palpable. The flickering light from the television screen was casting long, distorted shadows on their faces.)

Juror 12: I think we have discussed this enough. I am going home.

Juror 12 promptly departed the residence of Juror 9.

Shortly thereafter Juror 11 said he was also going to leave. As he left, Juror 10 followed him.

Juror 9

After the meeting with Jurors 10-12, all Juror 9 could think about was the “Cursed Jurors”. His paranoia was escalating. He kept watching replays on his video player of the news items speaking of the deaths of the “Cursed Jurors” He could not sleep. He did not leave his residence. His mind seemed to be in a perpetual spin.

The dimly lit apartment had become the self-imposed tomb of Juror 9. Days bled into nights, marked only by the endless loop of the news report on his television and video player. The vacant eyes of Arthur Henderson, the sombre tone of the reporter, the stark image of the office building – these were the only companions in his increasingly fractured reality.

Sleep offered no respite, only a chaotic jumble of courtroom screams and the screech of train brakes. Awake, the fear was a constant, gnawing presence, whispering that he was next, that the curse was inevitable.

Juror 9 had stopped answering the telephone. The curtains remained drawn, blocking out the indifferent sunlight. Food lay untouched on the small table, a testament to his spiralling despair. The faces of the other dead jurors – the mangled car of Davies, the empty fall of Henderson – haunted his waking hours, their fates mirroring his own impending doom in his mind.

One afternoon, his gaze fixed on the flickering screen, a phrase from the news report seemed to detach itself from the rest: "... a tragic accident ... the second juror to die since the courthouse bombing ...".

A cold dread washed over him. Accident. The word mocked him. Juror 9 knew it was not an accident. They were all being picked off, one by one. And he was next. He could feel it in the suffocating silence of his apartment, in the frantic beating of his own heart.

For Juror 9, reality had completely fractured. He reached for the bottle of medication on his bedside table – sleeping pills prescribed after the trial, now his only solace. His hand trembled as he unscrewed the cap. He stared at the small white tablets in his palm, his mind a whirlwind of terror and a desperate yearning for escape.

The video recording of the news report continued to play, the voice of the reporter a monotonous drone in the background. On the screen, the image the of workplace of Arthur Henderson  lingered.

With a final, shuddering breath, Juror 9 swallowed the entire contents of the bottle. The act was not a conscious decision, but a primal surrender to the overwhelming fear that had consumed him. In the flickering light of the replay, his eyes closed, and the silence of the apartment deepened. In his mind, the curse had finally claimed another victim.

Black Market Clash

After Juror 11 learned of the death of Juror 9 his paranoia increased significantly. He was now a complete convert to the cursed jurors theory. He decided that he needed a gun for his own protection. So he bought a gun on the black market.

Juror 10 contacted Juror 11 and told him he wanted to get together to discuss their situation. Juror 10 invited Juror 11 to his house for the meeting. Juror 11 accepted the invitation and made his way to the residence of Juror 10.

Within an hour they were together discussing their situation. Paranoia was a constant theme of their conversation and they were becoming obsessed with the idea that they are cursed.

After about thirty (30) minutes of this chaotic discussion, Juror 11 produced the firearm he bought on the black market. He told Juror 10 he bought the firearm for his protection. Tension between the two (2) jurors escalated further, as Juror 10 told Juror 11 he was crazy and he put them both in danger.

The conversation deteriorated significantly and tension between the two (2) jurors continued to escalate. Juror 11 refused to put the gun away, even though Juror 10 told him its presence made him uncomfortable. As their conversation escalated from talking to shouting, Juror 11 panicked and discharged his firearm at Juror 10.

Beginners bad luck for Juror 11. His discharging of his firearm promptly killed Juror 10.

It seems at least one of the neighbours of Juror 11 had already called the police and they arrived shortly after the firearm was discharged. There was then the usual police and ambulance presence at the premises, while Juror 11 was removed from the scene and arrested and charged with murder.

Strangers On a Train

Cologne Innsbruck was on a train going home. He was minding his own business and not interacting with anyone. The train was sparsely populated. Two (2) women were in somewhat elevated conversation, all of which Cologne could hear.

Relevantly their conversation turned to the “cursed jurors”.

Woman 1: There has been another death in the cursed jurors.

Juror 11 shot and killed Juror 10. Juror 11 is now charged with murder and will likely spend the rest of his life in jail.

Woman 2: You know Juror 9 topped himself, don’t you?

Woman 1: Those jurors really are cursed.

Upon hearing this, Cologne Innsbruck shook his head and had a little chuckle to himself.

He alighted the train at the next station and walked home.

Juror 12 A Fatal Miscalculation

The last remaining member of the ill-fated jury, Juror 12 was a shadow of his former self. The constant fear and paranoia had taken a toll on his mental health. He retreated into a world of shadows, his mind a battleground of anxiety and despair.

One night, in a moment of desperation, he miscalculated his medication dosage. The overdose proved fatal and his life extinguished as abruptly as a candle flame.

The following morning Cologne Innsbruck called in to his local eatery for a cup of teas. As he sat alone at his table drinking his tea, his flipped through the daily newspaper that had been left on his table. A few pages in Cologne happened upon an article informing the readers of the death of the last “Cursed Juror”.

After Cologne completed reading the article; he raised his tea cup in toast to himself, with a modest smile on his face.

Complainant Confesses

Upon learning that all twelve (12) jurors in her rape case were now dead, the complainant panicked. She knew she was a false accuser. She was terrified for her safety and she attended upon the police.

Somewhat surprised, the police told her they have a perpetrator for the bombing, the lunatic criminal who confessed (Clouseau Carlos). They are satisfied with his confession. Jurors 7 to 12 died in circumstances that were unfortunate, but unrelated to the case. However, they were interested in her confession to making a false complaint.

Consequently they arrested and charged her.

When Miss False Accuser appeared in court to face her charges, she received a lot of media coverage. That media coverage included news that:

• The conviction for the accused in Trial 2 had been set aside;

• He was released from jail; and

• He was a free man.

Cologne Innsbruck was at home alone channel surfing on his television when he noticed a news item relating to Miss False Accuser. He stopped surfing and watched the item. Once the circumstances in which Miss False Accuser was in court were clear to him, he immediately said out loud:

“No way.”

The news item continued and Cologne Innsbruck again loudly exclaimed:

“You have got to be kidding me.”

At the conclusion of the news item Cologne Innsbruck said to himself out loud:

“Today is a good day.”