Felicity Huffman Gets Fourteen Days
Last Friday actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced to two weeks in prison, a $300,000. fine, and 250 hours of community service for paying to inflate her daughter’s SAT score.
The Last Of Last Week’s Sketches
Thursday was a short day at the Tsarnaev trial last week as both sides met with the judge in chambers to discuss whether and to what extent Sister Helen Prejean will be allowed to testify. For much of the time nothing happened in the courtroom, though many tweets were read and sent. The previous day’s witness was brought back to the stand to complete his testimony, but that’s all.
I profited of the free time to ride a Hubway bike to the North End where I had an espresso and Italian ice and did the little sketch below.
Jury Selection Begins In Marathon Bombing Trial
Hundreds of eastern Massachusetts residents reported for jury duty his morning in the Boston Marathon bombing trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Tsarnaev entered the jury assembly hall with his lawyers. It was difficult to make out through the glare of plate glass that separated the press from the proceedings exactly what he was wearing, but it seemed to me he had on a dark collared shirt with a dark pullover and light pants. At the afternoon session he was wearing only the sweater with no shirt.
Tsarnaev appeared alert as he sat between two of his lawyers, Miriam Conrad on the left and Judy Clarke on the right.
Judge O’Toole instructed the jurors on what to expect, and introduced the lawyers and the defendant.
Two more days of the same, then in the later part of next week we should move on to individual void dire in the courtroom.
Life, Plus Life, Plus Five Years
“The scope, the callousness, the depravity of your crimes, are almost unfathomable,” Judge Denise Casper told Whitey Bulger before passing sentence. “The testimony of human suffering that you and your associates inflicted on others was at times agonizing to hear and painful to watch,” she said as the families of his victims sat on the right side of the courtroom.She then ordered Bulger, who throughout the two-day sentencing has sat facing forward making no eye contact with the public seated behind him, to stand for sentencing. “You are hereby committed to the Bureau of Prisons for the term of life,” said the judge.And this is probably the last we’ll see of Whitey Bulger.
Boston Globe story here.
Victims Speak at Bulger Sentencing
At the beginning of the two day sentencing for Boston mobster Whitey Bulger the government asked for life, plus life for machine guns, plus five years for other guns. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Kelly said, “he is going to spend the rest of his miserable life in jail.”Then it was time for the relatives of Bulger’s victims to speak up.
Sean McGonagle, “My father was no Boy Scout, but he was a better man than you’ll ever be.
Tom Angeli, “We feel robbed every day”.
Marie Mahoney, “We got you, you rat.”
Bulger was not convicted in the murder of Bill O’Brien’s father four days before the birth of the junior O’Brien. “I really got nothing out of this trial. I got more questions than answers.”
Patricia Donahue said that Whitey killed her husband “while a corrupt FBI agent watched.”
Meredith Rakes, “The healing can begin. The nightmare is over, the pain stops here.”
Tim Connors, “Your legacy is already cemented as a rat.”
Pat Callahan, “You won’t even turn around and look at us?”
Kathleen Nichols, “I believe he is evil.”
Theresa Bond, “Mr. Bulger, can you look at me?” ( Whitey Bulger kept his head down throughout ) “I can’t judge you.”
Steve Davis, “You piece of shit, look at me”
David Wheeler, “Shame on you Mr. Bulger, for all your notoriety you are a punk.” Referring to his father’s murder, Wheeler said that the FBI was “as responsible . . . as the defendant here sitting before you.”
Sentencing proper will take place tomorrow.
NYT story here.
About Me
Courtroom sketching is a form of visual journalism or reportage drawing that is slowly dying out. Where once upon a time news organization each had their own artist covering a story, today a “pool” artist often sketches for all. It is a demanding and stressful discipline where the drawing is often done directly and under tight deadline.
After forty-five years of news sketching in courtrooms and congress I’m calling it quits. It’s been sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating, almost always interesting. I’ve been lucky to work with some really great people. Don’t think I’ll miss it, but a little scared of not having a deadline.
While I won’t be sketching in court anymore, I may continue to post to this blog from time to time. Not sure what that might be. I’m about to start a new assignment documenting infrastructure and construction. Could be interesting.
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