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the character of the woman who had been separated from Ted Gregory for four months, the prosecutors asked for a verdict of first degree murder. The jury said voluntary manslaughter, the intentional killing in the sudden heat of passion upon reasonable provocation.
Voluntary manslaughter, the least serious verdict the jury could return without finding Gregory “not guilty,” is punishable by one to ten years in the penitentiary or up to a $1,000 fine or both.
The jury chose to recommend only the fine, the lightest possible punishment allowed under the law.
Last Tuesday, the opening day of the trial, 35 prospective jurors were questioned by the judge in a voire dire that lasted three hours.
They were asked if they felt a man would be justified in attempting to kill another man if he found his wife in the act of sexual intercourse with that man in that man’s house.
One of the prospective jurors first answered “yes,” under the impression that the house belonged to the wronged husband, not to his wife’s lover. He changed his reply to a less-than-positive “no” when the misunderstanding was corrected. That individual was later selected jury foreman.
After the panel of 12 and two alternates was seated, one of the prospective jurors who had been excused offered his opinion to reporters on the courthouse steps. At that point, everything he knew of the case came from the questions asked by the judge, the charges against Gregory and possibly a few remarks overheard in the courthouse hallway, Foreshadowing what happened four days later, he predicted that the jury would find Ted Gregory guilty of the least serious charge possible and fix the lightest possible punishment. “And 99 percent of the men in Rappahannock County will agree with me. . .That would be justice! ” he maintained.
We don’t think so. There was a body left lying on the floor in that farm cottage. Where is the justice in punishing homicide with a $1,000 fine? Is that the value of a life these days?
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