Courtroom Drama

January 22, 2010

In the coming months you will be reading many posts authored by me about the murder trial of Jennifer Schipsi.  I will attend many of the hearings and the trial of Bulos (Paul) Zumont, who is charged with murder in the first degree and arson.  Allegedly Zumont killed Jennifer (whom he lived with at the time) and then set fire to the house in Palo Alto.  The court case moved to San Jose from Palo Alto for security reasons and as the trial goes on, I hope to provide you with a glimpse of the good, bad and ugly side of the criminal justice system.

I rarely sit in courtrooms these days.  It is a frustrating experience, however, everyone in our community should observe how the criminal justice system works at least once.  We would be better-informed voters when electing or re-electing judges.  I am indeed discouraged by what I witnessed in the Honorable Douglas Southard’s court in Palo Alto on three occasions.  It was disorganized and unprofessional.  No one seemed to know what he or she was doing.  Judge Southard didn’t have control of the activities nor did he seem to care.  Both time spent on paper work unavailability, and attorneys not presenting themselves in a timely manner waste our taxes.  Judge Southard engaged more in casual conversations with attorneys than getting to the business of running a courtroom.

The Zumont case brought tension and stress to the courtroom.  Supporters on both sides felt distress and anger.  The defendant didn’t help when he walked into the courtroom, still in shackles and gave thumbs up and a wink to his supporters.  It took too long for the judge to act on the defendants inappropriate behaviors.  At the last hearing date in Palo Alto last week, Judge Southard gave what I thought was an offensive and demeaning mini-lecture to those in attendance.  He indicated that people could not come to his courtroom wearing colors and waving banners like a football game.  No one carried a banner and the “colors” were purple ribbons worn unassumingly by Jennifer’s friends and family.  To liken the actions of both Jennifer’s and Zumont supporters to that of fans of football teams trivialized and minimized this case.  Emotions were raw and pain greatly felt, obviously as Jennifer’s mother said in the courtroom: “I just buried my daughter”.  One could expect demonstrations of anger and pain like this when each side must sit inside a small courtroom together.

Judge Southard could have stated that respect for the court system must persist even though the situation was painful for all.  And then, Judge Southard could have heeded the calling himself and conducted business in his court with the sense of decorum and respect that he was asking of others and that this court case and tragedy deserve.

For the latest on the case, click here.

Another Tragedy Strikes our Community

I was horrified when I opened this morning’s newspaper to find another victim of domestic violence murdered.  In this case, Bulos “Paul” Zumot was arrested for the murder of Jennifer Schipsi in Palo Alto.  When I learned the deceased secured services from our agency, it became even more personal.  We at Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence are grieving her loss. From what I can piece together by reading news articles, a few thoughts come to mind.

To refer to the killing as an “act of passion” defies logic.  Passion is defined as “warm and excited feeling likely to be fitful or short-lived (the ardor of their honeymoon soon faded)”.  Most people would not apply this term to a calculated, pre-meditated act of murder.  This was not Romeo and Juliet or a tragic opera.  This is a perpetrator who stalked, abused and battered his partner.  Decades past, killing your wife “in the heat of passion” could give you a finding of innocent by a jury precisely because we associated the murder with passion.   We left that era, thank God.  We now know that domestic violence is coercive control exercised by one member to gain power over an intimate partner.  It is calculated, well-thought out and purposeful.  In my 24 years in this work I have never heard a victim refer to her abuse as filled with passion.

Secondly, I think we must be careful in how we portray the deceased.   We don’t know why a reconciliation occurred.  However, she is not at fault for trusting a person who professed love.  If anything, it is a reminder of the complexity of domestic violence.  Our focus must be on the perpetrator. Instead of  asking “Why did she go back?” we must ask “Why would someone so severely hurt the person who loves him?”

Please call or blog the Palo Alto Police Department and express your dismay about using the term “passion” when describing domestic violence. The Palo Alto Police Department number is (650) 329-2413.  And if you have enough energy, please add a comment about not blaming the victim to the article published in the San Jose Mercury News under the title “Boyfriend arrested in connection with woman’s death in Palo Alto fire,” posted October 20, 2009.

(Image from Austin for Iran via Google Images).