Jurors as victims in death penalty cases, part 2

“Juror No 2”, as Lindy Lou Isonhood was known, talks about the impact that a death sentence had on her and other jurors in a case in Mississippi in which they reached a verdict to sentence Bobby Wilcher to death for the murder of a woman. Bobby had been convicted by another jury, but his original death sentence was set aside by an appeals court. Bobby was then sentenced to death a second time after a new sentencing trial. Lindy had reservations about the sentence and set out to find the other jurors nearly twenty-two years later to see if they had similar thoughts of regret. Lindy visited Bobby while he was on death row. He was executed and that event sparked a crusade by Lindy to reform the system. Lindy felt trapped by the jury instructions given by the Judge, making her feel like she had no choice. Lindy’s story is captured in a film, “Lindy Lou, Juror No. 2” which is currently being screened in some film festivals. Lindy is interviewed by host Craig Lubow in the second of two parts. Other films and news stories have looked at the impact of the death penalty on the defendants’ families, the victims’ families, and on the Warden and doctors that must implement the death penalty. This is the first time that the impact on the jurors is examined.

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