Foreman in Lish Manslaughter Trial Sits for Interview

Source: The Times-News, Twin Falls, IdahoAug.迷你倉 29--TWIN FALLS -- Cayde Lish's high-profile manslaughter trial wrapped up last week with a guilty verdict from the jury, led by foreman David Bashore, sports editor for the Times-News.Lish stabbed Jerimiah Paiz in the arm and 13 times in the back during a fight outside Canyon Crest Dining and Event Center last Oct. 6. Lish, 22, admitted to the stabbing but claimed self-defense, saying he feared death as he was beaten by Paiz, 24.While Bashore initially believed his ties to the newspaper and family members in law enforcement would bar him from sitting on the jury, he ended up being voted as the group's leader by his fellow jurors. During the trial, jurors were instructed to avoid all media reports about the trial, not do any research on it or even talk about it with each other.In this interview, Bashore discusses the emotional trial, how the jury deliberated and his thoughts on the case.Q: As a member of the media, was it difficult to avoid news of the case during the trial?A No, I just had to make it clear to everybody, with you and Autumn (Agar, Times-News editor) especially, to keep (the trial) away from me if at all possible.I made sure on long days, I just went somewhere and made sure I didn't come into the office until after the news was over and you were gone.It was easier than I thought it was going to be to avoid it. The toughest part was when I was proofing pages. I'd be doing sports, and walk over and bam -- they're laying out (page) A1.Q: What was your thought process while listening to testimony?A I approached it from this way: The defense attorney said in the jury screening that the defense was self-defense, so we knew that going in. I said, OK prosecution, prove to me that it wasn't. At the end of their case I said, I can buy it. I was fairly convinced that what they had was good. I was inclined at the end of their case to vote guilty, but really what clinched it for us was Lish on the stand. There were just a lot of inconsistencies in there. It seemed a stretch to go from what he told the detective to what he testified to on the stand.I think if you're genuinely in fear for your life, you don't forget that.Someone else pointed out, a really good point, that Lish mentioned once in the video, he said, "I didn't know if they were going to stomp my head in." I've been shot at, I've been beat up. If you genuinely are in fear of your life, you're going to remember. No amount of alcohol is going to make you forget that.Q What was the final thing that made up your mind?A: I've been hit, and I know what the reaction is. You're going to be mad, and he admitted as much. It's a normal reaction, but the law says he had to be completely afraid.That was a major hole that the defendant himself poked in the defense. We had to go back and review the interrogation tape again. Notes are great, but t自存倉ey only help you so much. We wanted to see if we missed some stuff, which I did. What I saw the second time helped. I thought it was beyond a reasonable doubt at that point, then we watched it again. I didn't have any lingering doubt at that point.Q How did the deliberation process go?A: I said I guess we need to pick a presiding juror, and two people said "You."We sat down and we talked through and we were very careful. I didn't want to take a vote immediately, not least because the judge said that would be a bad idea.I wanted to have everyone explain their opinions. I didn't want to put pressure on a minority opinion either way. That's not fair to the process.We were trying to establish the timeline at first in our minds. I don't think they intended to, but both the prosecution and defense were getting us lost in the weeds a little bit. We were trying to plow through what was important and irrelevant. That took probably an hour. Then somebody wanted to see the police station tape again, and we all thought it was a pretty good idea.Then there was some clarifying -- what does the law read. I don't doubt (Lish) was afraid, but he wasn't acting only out of fear.We went over voluntary manslaughter. There was nothing disputed except if Lish acted lawfully. Then we went through self-defense and the five prongs. When we went through, it was pretty straightforward.Q What were your thoughts when the guilty verdict was reached?A: I felt good and bad. Good in the sense that we could see the finish line because it was really a hard week and a really heavy trial. We knew that we weren't putting him in prison; he did that to himself. It was just a bad deal all around. I still feel bad for everybody. It was a run-of-the-mill bar fight that went horribly wrong.When I got back to the office, I held my head in my hands and cried for about 10 minutes. That kind of stuff takes a toll on the jury too.Q Now that nearly a week has passed, what are your thoughts?A: I feel fine. I still feel bad for everybody. The family has some measure of closure, but (Paiz) is still gone and a guilty verdict isn't going to bring him back. I feel good about the decision. I hope (Lish) takes whatever time the judge decides to give him and straightens himself out. That's the best thing that can come out of this.I personally had a hard time with a few things in the case. I talked to my sister, who's a dispatcher, and she said, 'It's OK if you're not OK.' A week after I still think about it. When you're on the jury and the trial's going on, it consumes you. Sunday morning about 9 a.m., about when I showed up to church, I said, 'OK, I feel good now.' It took almost 48 hours to feel OK and at peace with the whole thing.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho) Visit The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho) at magicvalley.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉新蒲崗