Chapter 4

• Jurisdiction: United States

Chapter 4 Rehabilitation

The Jimi Tyrone Wright case is another example of what trial work is like for a prosecutor, and, beyond that, it contains lessons about rehabilitation—reformation of people, which is a subject that will be returned to later when examining rehabilitation in the context of mandatory minimum sentencing laws and clemency.

Shooting on University Washington Campus

On April 2, 1973, at about 7 p.m., Jimi Tyrone Wright, a second-year University of Washington law student, fatally shot thirty-year-old William J. Morris on the UW campus. This was the first homicide to ever take place on campus. Morris was an undergraduate student at the UW. Wright and Morris became enemies because of the attentions Wright paid to Morris's ex-wife, Caroline, who also attended the UW and was studying for a doctorate in political science.

The case came to trial in June 1973 in the courtroom of Judge Janice Neimi. My co-counsel was Jim Miller. We got off to a rough start. We were two days into the trial when Jim asked a witness if she had ever seen defendant Wright "use heroin or other narcotics." Judge Neimi granted defense counsel Wesley Holbein's motion for a mistrial.

We started all over again with a new jury of eight men and four women. Jim had earned himself the nickname "Mistrial" Miller. By the time we were through with voir dire (meaning "speak the truth" in Anglo-Norman language or "jury selection" in just plain English), we had questioned well over a hundred prospective jurors.

Our lead-off witness was UW student Donald Casad, who testified that he was walking on campus when he heard a shot ring out. He saw Morris on the ground. Casad testified that he rushed to the dying Morris who was gurgling and moaning. The witness said that he turned from the victim and asked the collective crowd if anyone knew who did the shooting. Casad testified that defendant Wright, who Casad pointed out sitting at counsel table, was the person who stepped forward from the crowd and said, "Yes, I shot him. I already called the police." Casad said Wright took off his jacket and placed it over Morris. But, when the police began to arrive, Wright retrieved his jacket and walked away from the scene.

We next called Randolph Stegmeier, a UW police officer, who upon arriving at the scene arrested Wright. Stegmeier testified that Wright told him: "I'm the one; I shot him." Wright surrendered a gun that we were able to show he had purchased from a sporting goods store.

Our final...