Professor a juror in local murder trial

BY AMY PEARSON
Guest Writer

This past summer, Melissa Luedtke, assistant professor of education at Saint Mary’s University, realized firsthand how much power a jury has when she was selected to serve on the jury that found Jack Nissalke guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in the 1985 stabbing death of Ada Senenfelder.

As a juror, “you have total power over this person’s life,” and it is not a good feeling knowing that you have to make a decision that will change someone’s life forever, said Luedtke.

It is a very complex position to be in, said Luedtke: on one hand, you have a simple duty to look at the facts that are presented and either find proof beyond a reasonable doubt, or not, but on the other hand, you are dealing with an actual person who has been living his life for many years, and now, as a group, you must make a decision to “give this person his life back or uproot it.” It is a huge responsibility, and the reality of everything that you learn in school about our country’s judicial system becomes a reality when you are in the jury box, said Luedtke.

While listening to testimonies from witnesses, many times questions would come to mind about what the witnesses were saying, said Luedtke. As a jury member, however, she was unable to ask any questions during the trial, and she said that was a frustrating thing. Many times, a witness would say something crucial, but either the plaintiff’s or defendant’s lawyer would make an objection, and that discussion would have to stop, said Luedtke. Luedtke said this withholding of information was frustrating because it prevented her from always being able to put the pieces together.

The jury selection process was a long one and began with a written form that was several pages long, said Luedtke. The form asked extensive questions about potential jurors’ past experiences and questions about what they had already heard about the case. After the written portion of the selection process, Luedtke said she received notification to report for an interview. The interview was an hour long and was conducted by both the prosecution and the defense teams.

“I was quite sure I would be (chosen for jury duty),” said Luedtke. The trial had a change of venue from Winona County to Fillmore County, and all chosen jury members lived in Fillmore County, including Luedtke. Being a member of the jury absolutely disrupted the routine of her daily life, said Luedtke. Court was in session from roughly 8:15 a.m. until 4 p.m., and it was a huge commitment, said Luedtke. Although she was not thrilled about serving jury duty because of personal issues that required her attention at that time in her life, a “piece of me was intrigued,” said Luedtke. Being a part of the democratic experience is both frightening and inspiring, said Luedtke.