OFFICER AT THE POLICE CHIEF TELLS US HE BELIEVES CHRISTIAN WILL BE TRIED AS AN ADULT ON
HIS FIRST DEGREE MURDER
CHARGE.
>> MATT: WELL, TONIGHT, WE
CONTINUE OUR IN-DEPTH LOOK AT
PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY
ILLEGALLY VOTING IN THE 2020
ELECTION. GOVERNOR RON
DESANTIS MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT
3 WEEKS AGO, BUT WE HAVE SINCE
LEARNED MOST IF NOT ALL OF
THOSE PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY WERE
ELIGIBLE TO VOTE.
>> LISA: INVESTIGATOR LOUIS
BOLDEN HAS BEEN BREAKING
DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THE
GOVERNOR’S ANNOUNCEMENT IN
LEWIS. ONE OF THE REASONS
PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY WERE
ELIGIBLE IS BECAUSE THEY
RECEIVED A JURY SUMMONS. THAT
IS CORRECT. LISA, UNDER
FLORIDA LAW FELONS ARE NOT
ALLOWED TO SIT ON A JURY
UNLESS THEIR RIGHTS HAVE BEEN
RESTORED.
>> MATT: SOME TO GETTING A
JURY SUMMONS AS A SIGN THAT
THEY WERE IN THE CLEAR AND THE
9TH CIRCUIT, WHICH IS ORANGE
AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, JURY
SUMMONS ARE HANDLED BY COURT
ADMINISTRATION. SO WE WENT TO
THE CHIEF JUDGE TO ASK WHY
IT’S HAPPENING.
>> GINGER: IT’S A PRETTY
COMPLICATED SYSTEM IF YOU’RE
NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT. SO I CAN
UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE COULD BE
CONFUSED. 9TH CIRCUIT CHIEF
JUDGE LISA MUNYON SAT DOWN
WITH NEWS 6 TO HELP US
UNDERSTAND THE JURY SUMMONS
PROCESS. DOES IT SURPRISE YOU
THAT CONVICTED FELONS WOULD
RECEIVE A JURY SUMMONS IN THE
MAIL? NO, BECAUSE I KNOW THE
PROCESS ISN’T PERFECT. THEY
KEPT CALLING ME FULL-COURT
DUTY. 59 YEAR-OLD PETER
WASHINGTON WAS ONE OF 20
PEOPLE INVESTIGATED BY
GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS IS
OFFICE OF ELECTION CRIMES AND
SECURITY. THEN LATER ARRESTED
FOR VOTING IN THE 2020
ELECTION. ALL WERE CONVICTED
FELONS. BUT WASHINGTON SAYS
THERE WERE A SERIES OF EVENTS
THAT LED HIM TO BELIEVE HIS
RIGHTS HAVE BEEN RESTORED,
INCLUDING GETTING A JURY
SUMMONS IN THE MAIL. THEY
CALLED ME FULL COURT DUE TO
PUT 2 TO 3 TIMES. BUT THAT
WHAT MADE ME THINK?
>> MAYBE THINK DID I WAS
ELIGIBLE TO MY RIGHTS WERE
REINSTATED. WASHINGTON SAYS
THE LAST SUMMONS HAPPENED MORE
THAN 3 YEARS AGO AROUND THE
TIME THAT AMENDMENT 4 WAS
PASSED.
>> GINGER: JURY RECORDS ARE
ONLY RETAIN FOR 3 YEARS,
ACCORDING TO COURT SUPPORT
STAFF. SO THERE’S NO RECORD OF
WASHINGTON RECEIVING A
SUMMONS. BUT COURT RECORDS
SHOW 2 OTHER CONVICTED FELONS
ARRESTED ON THE SAME CHARGES.
WASHINGTON DID MICHELLE
STRIBLING RECEIVED A JURY
SUMMONS IN JULY OF 21 AND
JERRY LEE FOSTER RECEIVED TO
JURY SUMMONS AND SEPTEMBER OF
19 AND FEBRUARY OF 2021,
ACCORDING TO COURT RECORDS,
JUDGE MONEY AND SAYS THE
INITIAL LIST OF POTENTIAL
JURORS COMES FROM DRIVER’S
LICENSE AND IDENTIFICATION
CARD ROLES. SO EVERY QUARTER.
DMV WILL SEND A LIST TO THE
CLERK THAT HAS POTENTIAL
JURORS FOR SUMMONS AND THE
COURT FOR WORDS THAT LIST TO
US. SHE SAYS THE LIST IS
SUPPOSED TO BE CROSS
REFERENCED WITH THE STATE
CRIMINAL HISTORY DATABASE. THE
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT BY STATUTE IS
SUPPOSE TO LOOK THROUGH THOSE
LIS AND PURGE. GIVE THE CORK
INFORMATION TO PURGE THEM. DO
YOU EVER GET ANY NOTIFICATION
FROM FDLE THAT THAT CHECK HAS
ACTUALLY BEEN DONE? NOT THAT I
KNOW OF. SO NO ONE VERIFIES
WHETHER FDLE IS DOING THAT
ONCE A MONTH. AS FAR AS I
KNOW, AND I HAVE TRIED TO
CHECK ON THE PROCESS SINCE
I’VE BEEN CHIEF JUDGE.
>> BUT IT IS A PROCESS THAT’S
VERY DIFFICULT TO GET DOWN TO
THE BOTTOM. AND WHY IS YOU’D
HAVE TO ASK FDLE. I DON’T NOW.
FLORIDA STATUTE, 40 TO TO
SECTION 4 STATES.
>> THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT WILL SEARCH ITS
DATABASES AND RETURN AN
AUTOMATED FILE OF MATCHING
RECORDS THAT WOULD ASSIST THE
CLERK AND EVALUATING WHETHER A
MEMBER OF THE JURY POOL SHOULD
BE DISQUALIFIED. I KNOW THAT
THAT PROCESS ISN’T 100%. SO
EVERY TIME WE GET A PANEL AND
>> GINGER: EVERY DAY OUR
CLERK’S STAFF ASKS ALL OF THE
DISQUALIFICATION QUESTIONS.
>> ARE YOU A CONVICTED FELON?
ARE YOU A JUDGE?
>> NOW THE JUDGE SUGGESTED WE
ASKED FDLE AND WE DID A
SPOKESPERSON CONFIRMED WHAT
THE JUDGE SAYS AN ADDED CLERKS
ELECTRONICALLY SUBMIT NAMES
AND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA TO BE
SEARCHED AGAINST THE FLORIDA
COMPUTERIZED CRIMINAL HISTORY
DATABASE FOR POSSIBLE MATCHES
TO A FLORIDA CRIMINAL HISTORY
RECORD. AND SO THEY SUBMIT THE
NAMES. BUT THEN DOES FDLE
ACTUALLY DO THE SEARCH THAT
STILL THE BIG QUESTION AND WE,
ANDERSON, IS ACTUALLY ANOTHER
DATABASE THAT THEY COULD BE
LOOKING AT MIGHT EVEN MAKE IT
EASIER FOR THEM TO FIGURE OUT
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THESE
THINGS AND WHO IS NOT. THAT IS
RIGHT.
>> THAT OTHER DATABASE FDLE
MAINTAINS FLORIDA OFFENDER
DATABASE, WHICH WERE ALL
CONVICTED FELONS. BUT
POTENTIAL JURORS NAMES ARE NOT
RUN THROUGH THAT DATABASE. WE
ASKED WHY AND WE STILL HAVE
NOT HEARD THAT. THIS RAISES SO
MANY QUESTIONS BECAUSE SO MANY
PEOPLE SUBMIT NAMES FOR
VARIOUS BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR
VARIOUS REASONS.
>> ARE EXACTLY. THAT IS THE
QUESTION. WE GOTTEN A FIRM
ANSWER TO THAT. YEAH, IT IS
BAFFLING TO ME THAT THE
OFFENDER REGISTRY IS NOT USED
TO WEED OUT POTENTIAL JURORS.
YOU KNOW, THEY’RE ALL
CONVICTED FELON. YEAH, YEAH.
THE STORY IS AN ONION. IT IS.
YES. YOU THAT. YEAH. KEEPS