A transcript of an interview of Brian Golemme detailing his personal experience serving on a Massachusetts jury trial on September 19, 2019. The story was preserved for the interesting and odd particulars of the case and to capture the full depth of Mr. Golemme’s experience and feelings during the event. Upon hearing the story for the first time on September 26, 2019, Brian’s son, Ryan Golemme, felt the event was worth keeping around for both personal enjoyment but also as a story that could be retold and passed down to others to capture the experience of such a unique case. The interview was conducted on October 5, 2019 and recorded, from which a transcript was made. The edition of the text also contains an introductory preface from Ryan and annotations of the transcript.
The transcript details Brian’s recounting of the jury experience. He initially thought it would be a rote civil trial. The case dealt with a man who was charged with violating a restraining order, forcibly confronting a woman at a gas station, and driving to her friend’s house and hitting her. However, there were several details that quickly complicated the case, including the lack of a police report, details of the defendant having a twin brother and a different brother whom the woman also dated, unreliable testimony from the defendant and the woman, and numerous other issues that made the case complicated to decide. The story also recounts the experience in jury deliberations, where the group came down to charging the restraining order violation but not the assault after intense discussion.
The text was transcribed from the interview and preserved as a digital file. A personal copy was printed and preserved for internal use within the Golemme family.