Just because you’re sitting in judgment on a case involving three horrible murders, that doesn’t mean you can’t secretly plan to get your freak on, right? Well, wrong, according to Judge Jon Blue of New Haven, Connecticut. Judge Blue is overseeing the case of Steven Hayes, a man accused of a brutal 2007 home invasion that left three people, Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters Hayley (17) and Michaela (11), dead and a family shattered. Somehow, hearing all this information wasn’t enough to squash the desire for love, as an amorous, anonymous juror was chastised yesterday for passing a love note to a marshal in the courtroom at the end of court on Friday.
The alternate juror was pulled onto the witness stand and questioned by Judge Blue, who ultimately decided not to dismiss her from the jury pool due to the previous dismissals of other jurors for more serious infractions. However, that didn’t spare the woman a tongue-lashing from the judge, who dubbed her note-passing escapade a “goddamn dumb thing to do.” The love note asked that the marshal meet the juror for lunch at a particular restaurant on Sunday.
Hayes was found guilty of the three murders last month; the jury is currently in the punishment phase of the trial. Hayes could face the death penalty for his heinous crimes.
Tags: New Haven, Connecticut, Steven Hayes, Judge Jon Blue, Hayley Petit, Michaela Petit, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, murder case, juror interrupts murder case to ask out marshal, court marshal passed a love note, juror passes love note to court official, unusual notes, unusual people, law and order, distractions