Ask this question to anyone who works at 26th
and Cal (the hub of Chicago's criminal legal world and the busiest court system
in the nation)--How often does a criminal defendant get together after trial
with his jurors? You'll probably get a
laugh. The answer will likely be 'almost never.' But the case of Jovan Mosley,
and the dedicated jurors who decided whether he was guilty of murder, has never
been typical.
After Jovan's trial, lead attorney, Catharine O'Daniel, and I went in
the jury room, where they made us promise to take care of Jovan. Then they did
one better. The foreperson--Andrea Schultz, took Jovan shopping for school
supplies. Another--Alfonzo Lewis--called me frequently for updates on how Jovan
was doing. A few months later, they both suggested a reunion.
I wrote about this juror reunion in the book Long Way Home: The Story of
a Young Man Lost in the System and the Two Women Who Found Him. A few people
wrote me, wondering if that occasion had really taken place. Today, while
defragmenting both the computer and the home office with Carol Miller, I found
lost photos from the event. Since Long Way Home is newly out in trade
paperback (purchase here B&N, Amazon), I thought I'd share them.
Alfonzo Lewis, Jovan Mosley, and Andrea Schultz
Schultz, Mosley, Lewis, and Catharine O'Daniel
