ripper_epub9 by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0000000000000
Published: 2021-10-22T19:49:27+00:00

Chapter 9

The Trial

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I saw the lips of the black-robed judges. I saw the decrees, of what to me was fate, were still issuing from those lips. I saw them fashion the syllables of my name, and I shuddered because no sound succeeded.

From The Pit and the Pendulum, by Edgar Allan Poe

The teams assembled. Strategies were formed. Charges were filed. In May of 1973, Gerard John Schaefer was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Even before that, since the discovery of the Place and Jessup bodies on April 1st, the legal machine’s gears began to turn, and now were spinning, well-oiled, on both sides of the judicial automaton. The legal machine is, briefly, both amazing and tedious. It is in truth an intricate game, not unlike chess, whereas the defendant’s innocence or guilt in the eyes of God and humanity are no longer the real issue; it is how well the game is played. Like the game of chess, one move in one direction sets off a whole chain of moves in opposing directions, each in turn effecting the other, and establishing new moves, new directions. In the end, one must wonder: yes, there was a “fair trial,” as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, but did we really get to the truth of the matter? Ultimately, for the sake of sanity alone, one must accept the results of this system, or constantly doubt its authority and aut henticity.

Before the trial can begin, there are many complicated procedures to perform, by both the prosecution and the defense. Every person who might (or might not) be called to the stand, must be on a list, which is presented to the court. Additionally, any evidence that might or might not be used (relating to the case, of course) or shown, or presented in court, must be labeled and listed and given to the court prior to the trial. There is little margin for error. There are few surprises. If anywhere down the line, the prosecution fails to have followed the designated procedure, one careless omission is committed, then the whole case can be dismissed, and the defendant, guilty or not, can take a walk. Likewise, if the defense is not watching the procedures very carefully, if he allows the prosecution to make an unfounded accusation without voicing his objections, then the defendant, guilty or not, may go to jail or die by the hands of the system that has promised him “due process of the law.”.

It is not the intention of this author to omit the legal details of this trial, however, for the sake of brevity, a substantial amount of that information must be deleted. We will look at the key characters involved, the key witnesses called, briefly, the pre-trial hearing and jury selection, and of course, the outcome of the trial. Once again, this is to abbreviate the court’s connection to this case, and thus outline, if you will, thousands of pages of court transcript, into a briefer, hopefully more readable chapter in the unusual case of Gerard Schaefer.

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