Jurors speak out on Kathy Phillips verdictby Sarah Rice (srice@wsbt.com)
Kathy Phillips smiles on her way out of the courtroom after being found not guilty of murder and neglect. (WSBT photo) LAPORTE — Described as one of their toughest decisions ever, members of a LaPorte County jury talked about finding a mother not guilty of murdering and neglecting a newborn baby. Multimedia Related Content
The prosecuting attorney says she was disappointed by the outcome, but the lack of evidence hurt their case. A DNA geneticist testified earlier in the week there was a 99.99 percent chance Kathy and Garry Phillips were the parents of the dead baby. But Phillips' family says she was never pregnant. Her attorney said the only explanation that counts is the jurors'. “I think the jury tried to strive for justice,” said Rich Cook, Kathy Phillips’ attorney. “That's what I asked and I think they accomplished it.” “It's been a long, long time. She's been crucified. She's been accused of things that did not take place at all,” said Marcia Ruminski, Kathy’s mother. “And the only way that we could get through this is knowing that the good Lord was watching over us and his hand was in on this.” Kathy Phillips and her husband didn't comment after Thursday morning's verdict. But Thursday afternoon we spoke with some of the people behind the decision. The two jurors who spoke to WSBT News describe this trial as difficult and emotional. While they're glad it's over, they say it's something they won't be able forget. Tears of joy filled the faces of Kathy Phillips and her family as they left the courthouse early Thursday morning. But for jurors like Darla Mitchell it was tears of sadness. “This was the hardest thing I think anybody would have had to do,” she told WSBT News. Mitchell was one of 12 jurors who found Kathy Phillips not guilty on murder and neglect charges. She says based on the evidence presented by the prosecution, she had no other choice. “They could not prove that baby took a breath,” she explained. “They told us that there’s no test to prove that the heart was beating. It’s just like a Catch-22 — you’re stuck in the middle.” Jurors deliberated for nine hours, describing it as a rollercoaster of emotions. “I would say every woman on that jury convulsively collapsed,” said juror Fred Sachtleben. Sachtleben says he was able to hold back tears … but not for long. “This morning, when I was able to talk, as happens, you just kind of break down and sob,” he said. Sachtleben says he wasn’t just sad; he was frustrated. “We, the jury, were unable to ask questions that we would have thought, ‘Why didn’t the prosecution ask about those questions?’” he explained. Sachtleben and Mitchell say they have no doubt Kathy Phillips was pregnant and that the baby was hers. They say that's what makes the outcome so difficult. “It’s hard for everybody, I think, I truly do,” Mitchell said. “But she has to live with what she did." “A child has been definitely deprived of life,” Sachtleben said. “Whatever that life might have been is really immaterial. But a life was definitely taken in a heinous way.” Sachtleben says he had many questions regarding the crime scene. But he says because the prosecution did not touch on some of the specifics, those questions couldn't be answered. While it was a very difficult case from the beginning, these two jurors said the day the prosecution's case started was particularly difficult. That's when they showed the graphic pictures of the baby. Most PopularMore Good Stuff |
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