Court System

Abstract

The complexity of criminal procedures varies day-to-day because of the operations of police and their interactions with citizens. Because of the structure of the United States court system; the states have what is called a two tiered court system, which consist of the state and federal court system.

October 2002, the District of Columbia (DC), Maryland, and Virginia residents where struck with fear for three weeks during the month of October because two men played God and decided to take innocent lives into their own hands. People were killed for the reason that the two men wanted to kill and did not have any value on a person's life. It took one brave man to spot the 1990 Chevrolet Caprice that was parked in a truck stop's parking lot located in Frederick, Maryland. Because the snipers crossed into three states with the killings, each state decided to prosecute the serial killers, even though one victim was a federal agent.

The DC Sniper

In 2002, two men went on a shooting spree, not caring who they killed as long as they killed people. Forty-eight year-old John Allen Muhammad and his 17 year-old accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo, who is also known as the D.C. Snipers, shot approximately 15 people, 10 of them who were killed. The serial killers were finally caught on October 24, 2002, allowing the three states to try to recuperate from the three weeks of terror that the residents endured.

Key Players

No matter what type of trial, there are key players involved from the judge down to the defendant. The DC snipers were found guilty in Virginia's Circuit Court by a jury. The court members included the judge, state's prosecutor, jury, defense attorney, bailiff, and the court clerk.

Judge

The role of the judge is to sit on the bench and listen to the prosecutor and the defense attorneys present their case in a non-bias manner. The judge is also responsible for ensuring that both sides are following the laws when questioning witnesses and the defendant. The judge also will rule when an attorney objects to the way an attorney is presenting questioning. Leroy F. Millette, Jr. was the judge presiding over the John Allen Muhammad's case heard in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He had the difficult task of hearing one of the highest profiled cases on the East Coast.

State's Prosecutor

The job of the state's prosecutor is to examine the evidence to ensure that there is enough evidence to take a person to trial. Once in a trial, the state's attorney will present the evidence, whether it is to the judge or a jury in hopes of obtaining a guilty verdict. It is the responsibility of the state's attorney to prove that an offender is guilty beyond a reasonable