CLEVELAND — An Ohio man was excused from jury service after mentioning he was a childhood friend of cannibalistic serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

John Backderf was among prospective jurors being screened last week by a judge in Cleveland.

When asked if he'd known anyone convicted of a crime, Backderf responded: "I had a close friend in high school who killed 17 people."

The Plain Dealer reports Monday the answer caused the judge to freeze and lawyers to drop their pens. Backderf explained he knew Dahmer, who was raised in northeast Ohio.

Backderf is a graphic novelist about to publish "My Friend Dahmer." He was dismissed from the jury list.

Dahmer confessed to killing and dismembering men and boys in Milwaukee. An inmate killed him in a Wisconsin prison in 1994.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id.../us_news-weird_news/

[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 11-08-2010).]

Not the way that I would.prefer to avoid my civic duty.

quote Originally posted by WhiteDevil88: Not the way that I would.prefer to avoid my civic duty.

Well, they asked him.
He just told the truth.

Oh my.

Easiest way out of Jury Duty is admit to being arrested at some point. Thats usually a deal breaker for the Prosecutor, and he will send you home. Not that I know personally, I have never been contacted.. but my cousin got busted a few days before being called in for a domestic call that turned into assaulting a police officer. (Story below) He was dismissed the minute he told the prosecutor that.

I love my cousin. He came home drunk, and his girlfriend was waiting by the door with a telephone and clobbered him in the head with it. (Old style phone with the rotary) He screamed, neighbors called the cops. When they show up, they immediately say they are going to arrest him. He never did anything but bleed, and he told them that. They said they did not care, its standard procedure to remove the man from the premises into custody when a domestic caller comes in. So again, he asks "Am I getting arrested for not doing anything?" And they said yes.

Then he knocks the cop out. The other cop that showed took my cousin into custody. When the knocked out cop came to, my cuz says "Now at least I have done something to be arrested for." A few weekss later, all charges were dropped.

Classic.

I would hope that serving on a capital murder trial would get me out of doing another one of those. That was pretty stressful. But as far as the topic goes, weird stuff.

Just wear a Neal Boortz T-shirt. That ought to do it.

Never been called for jury duty, but if they now called me, I couldnt do it based on loss of income and not being able to pay bills.

quote Originally posted by Back On Holiday: Never been called for jury duty, but if they now called me, I couldnt do it based on loss of income and not being able to pay bills.

Hardship will not excuse you normally.
I was called once and had an infection in both ears, couldn't hear hardly anything.
Told the judge, he said something to me, I said what, he waved for me to leave.

This day and age do they really need to add

quote Dahmer confessed to killing and dismembering men and boys in Milwaukee. An inmate killed him in a Wisconsin prison in 1994.

Brad

Theres an even easyer way to get out of it. When they start reading you certan senareo's and ask a guilty ot not guilty verdic say guilty to every one of them.

It is funny, I am waiting for my shot at jury duty. Everyone gets a get out of jail free card. Just my way of dealing with past police misconduct.

Ask about jury nullification procedures.......once the look of horror leaves all their faces, they will tell you to get lost.

Question: have you ever received a Jury Duty notice by registered mail, by a personal subpoena service or other way that verifies you actually received it?

quote Originally posted by fierobear: Question: have you ever received a Jury Duty notice by registered mail, by a personal subpoena service or other way that verifies you actually received it?

No, just in the regular mail, with a mail back card.
They kinda get you, becouse if you recieve your tax refund there, they can prove you get your mail.

The question is, are you required by law to open every single piece of mail you get, just certain ones, or is opening your mail 100% voulintary?