Now I'm crying my eyes out after listening to Dave Hall talk about the sense of vindication he feels for his friend and his family! It will never, ever bring Travis back, but I can only imagine how that exoneration must feel!
Some people, families and friends will never get to feel that! I am one of them!
My Father was put in a Catholic orphanage at the age of 4 and was severely abused by the Nuns there for 11 years.
His Mother died and he was loaded onto a train with his 2yr old sister and told he was going to the seaside. Instead he arrived at a place called Smyllum Orphanage in Lanark, Scotland, run by The Sisters of Mercy. Sisters of 'NO' Mercy, as he liked to call them! He was separated from his sister and put in a dormitory with 200 other boys. He wet the bed that night. The nuns dragged him from his wet bed, filled a bathtub full of cold water, and held his head under the water, as punishment! 11 years of that!
I have no doubt this terrible experience put him in an early grave! On the day I found him dead, jammed between the toilet and the bathtub in his home, he was involved in a court case against the Catholic Church, to hold them responsible for the terrible abuse they inflicted upon these children. Seven days later, he was due to appear in The Scottish Parliament for 'In Care Abuse Survivors' case to be heard. I went in his place, holding a picture of him at age 4, and his sister at age 2 (who also died suddenly and young), only to be told he would no longer be considered for compensation because he was deceased, and that they would only consider cases that happened after 1960!
I know it's not the same but they killed him, and like many, many others, I will never have justice!
I'm probably sharing too much, but I'm so emotional!
I'm grateful to this Jury and the system for doing all it could do for the Alexander family! It must feel good and terribly empty at the same time! It will never bring Travis back!
Originally Posted by Ian 1
The morning started off quite calmly. Got there early enough, (9:30 a.m.) to get the eighth place chair in the event that a verdict came in and members of the public might be admitted to the proceedings. A very nice gentleman, connected to Legal Shield was in spot seven. He gave it up for me, so I got promoted. It looked like a lock and I anticipated having lots of first-hand, (but rushed) impressions to convey to you guys. It was a dull morning 'till approximately 11:30 a.m. when the shock came. A Verdict! Don't know where the announcement came from, we just suddenly knew. A couple of minutes later, we got the news that the verdict would be read at 1:30 p.m. About a half hour later, additional news came. There was no room for members of the public in the courtroom. Only family and Press could be accommodated. Nevertheless, we hung onto our places in hopes that that news was just a rumor and some of us would be accommodated in the courtroom. For the next half hour or so, the fifth floor began to gradually fill up. During all of this, there was a jury selection process for the "Kramer" trial going on and all of these people carrying orange cards were mixed in with the increasing numbers of newly arriving spectators but everything seemed to go off smoothly. Everybody had an emotional moment--a quickening of the pulse and many spoke of it. I ventured the thought that my observation of the Juror's jovial behavior when boarding the elevator yesterday was indeed an indication that they had been relieved of their burden and had pretty well reached a verdict. That seems to be the way it turned out. They convened this morning at ten--probably for the final vote--and it was done.
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