Guide to Surviving a Court Encounter With a Murderer

1. Do not make eye contact. The accused MAY smile at you creepily.
2. Sit in the back of the court room.
3. Do not wait around after while the accused changes back into his orange jumpsuit.
4. Do not agree to look at the autopsy pictures of the victim/s.
5. Do not attend the trial.

Unfortunately if you follow this list, you are a terrible journalist and you don't have the 'stuff ' required to write a detailed story.



Seriously a life-changing experience. The District Attorney, Melissa Krum, was incredibly warm and helpful and eagerly answered all of my questions. Woman had some serious spunk. She talked about how she often has problems at restaurants because she discusses trials with autopsy pictures on the table.


By the way, the autopsy pictures of Chauncy Bailey.. chilling. Krum pointed at the entrance and exit wounds that the bullet made. Krum was walking me through it because I told her I had a morbid fascination, "This is where the bullet fragmented his skull, which is why it's concave. The soft tissue and brain matter just..." Yeah you get the idea.

She did decline to make a statement, which I do understand.

I was glad that I went with Katherine, Kealan, and Nelson -- if anything we are excellent at sitting awkwardly in the hallway of a courthouse and making funny noises.

We are obviously serious journalists.


And here are some more pictures: