COLUMNISTS

'Death! I sentenced someone to DEATH!' – York County juror describes the emotional toll

I did not take this lightly. None of us did. We carried this weight for 10 days – and continue to carry this weight.

Elizabeth Enfield
  • We reviewed the evidence and we reviewed the information that we were given. We read the law, and we made a choice – death.
Paul Henry III, 41, of East Manchester Township.

Recently, I was chosen to be on the jury of a high-profile homicide case in York. Initially, I was intrigued and a bit excited at the thought of such an interesting case. I was one in 16, of 100 people, selected to sit in on a trial at which the death penalty was a possibility.

For someone who regularly watches criminal TV shows and documentaries, this was incredible! I had NO idea what I was in for.

For 10 days, I listened to testimony and viewed evidence of the horrific killing of a young woman and man. I saw pictures of their bodies. I listened to the gruesome details of their deaths.

For 10 days, I watched as the young woman’s family sat in the courtroom, on edge and emotional as they listened to the details of their daughter’s final moments of life.

For 10 days, I watched the defendant’s mom in the back of the courtroom as she listened to the accusations against her son – her pride and joy. And then again as she held her hands over her ears as the prosecution delivered their closing arguments.

For 10 days, I watched a man, accused of heinous crimes, as he struggled to declare his innocence.

But in the end, justice served or not, I now only hear silence.

Memories burned in my mind.

Pictures forever filed in my brain.

A 10-day experience that has and will continue to forever change me.

This was not an hour of "CSI," this was real life. Two human beings were taken from this earth and from their families at the hands of another. I had no idea that I’d be affected in this way. No idea that days afterward, I’d still think of the families – defendant and victims – and carry such a heavy burden for all. That I would wonder what is truly going on in the mind of a man who is now sentenced to death. And that I was one of 12 who deliberated and thought and prayed about the task we were asked to carry through: To judge impartially, and to uphold the law.

I did not take this lightly. None of us did. We carried this weight for 10 days – and continue to carry this weight, even though it’s all over. We lived it and experienced it, as close to being there in the actual moment as we could be.

We reviewed the evidence and we reviewed the information that we were given. We read the law, and we made a choice – death.

Death! I sentenced someone to DEATH!

I have heard it over and over in the last few days: I didn’t do this to him, he did it to himself. I didn’t ruin the lives of his family members, he did. I didn’t take away the only daughter that Danielle’s family had, he did. And I didn’t take Foday away from his family and loved ones either. 

While they’re absolutely right, it still doesn’t ease the enormity of this situation and experience. And sadly, for me, it doesn’t change the hurt in my heart.

Nobody wins. I’ll say it again: Nobody. Wins.

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Danielle and Foday aren’t coming back. Their families cannot call them on the phone or send them a letter. The four witnesses cannot erase the images and trauma now engraved in their hearts and minds. And Mrs. Henry no longer has a son to help her with life at home.

And last, but not least, is me – ME.

In 10 days, I went from an hour of "CSI" to real life. I went from restful dreams to restless nights. I went from ignorance to overwhelming reality. This is real life. These are real people. And this is the real me. A faith-filled and caring person who was chosen to decide a man’s fate. A fate that when decided was death.

It has gripped me. And I continue to think of, and cry for, all those involved. This has affected me more than I could ever have imagined. What started out as intrigue has turned into pure heartbreak.

Mention jury duty to anyone within earshot, and guaranteed someone will mention how boring and miserable it is. And yes, that’s typically the case. What I expected to be a week of reading a book turned into three weeks of intense and exhausting emotions. Never would I have believed that I’d be here in this position.

I did not choose this. I did not choose to be placed on that panel. But I know it happened for a reason. I only hope and pray that some of that reason can somehow turn into good, if that’s even possible. I pray that this becomes more than about a man who stormed into a house and took two lives.

I pray we remember the lives of the lost and their families. And the lives of those who witnessed it and are now left to live without their friends and loved ones. And lastly, I also pray for myself and the 14 other jurors/alternates whose lives are forever changed as well.

Elizabeth Enfield was a juror in the homicide trial of Paul Henry III.

Police found a 12-gauge shotgun in the trunk of Veronique and Paul Henry III's car on Sept. 14, 2016. Paul Henry's attorney said his client bought the weapon while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.