This caught my eye not only because of its absurdity but also because, at the moment, I'm just outside Cincinnati:
In a stunning twist to a Tuesday Hamilton County jury trial, Najah Johnson-Riddle went from juror to witness.
Johnson-Riddle was one of 12 jurors seated to hear the domestic violence and felonious assault charges against James Capell, 42, of Colerain Township.
Capell is accused of - but has pleaded not guilty to - brutally beating a woman in her College Hill home May 30. He is accused of breaking the glass out of the woman's door in the 1200 block of West Galbraith Road, entering her home and using his keys to beat her in the face, then choking her and biting her ear.
Jurors were seated late Monday. The trial began Tuesday. Nelson gave his opening statements, telling jurors what he expected the evidence to prove. Bouchard was doing the same for the defense when juror number eight, Johnson-Riddle, stunned the courtroom and stopped the trial by blurting out she couldn't sit on the jury.
"She said, 'I was the (anonymous) person who made the 911 call,'" the assistant prosecutor said.
"She said, 'It woke me up out of my bed and I saw him beating on her. I thought she must be dead.'"
Her outburst tainted the entire jury because it corroborated statements made by the prosecution and claims made by the victim, Ruehlman declared a mistrial.
Now, that's great work by both lawyers. It shows the prosecutor's top investigative skills along with the defense attorney's stunning ability to voir dire prospective jurors.
(Via Talking Points Memo.