Courthouse Violence Unpredictable Despite Security THE


HOMICIDE REPORT


When Utah's new federal courthouse opened, it came with security improvements that are becoming standard around the country: separate entrances and elevators for judges, defendants and the public; bullet-resistant glass and paneling; and vehicle barricades to keep car bombs at bay.


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Stranger Violence International Violence - Non-fatal incidents/close calls Toys R Us Killer Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter


Bernard T. Grucza avoided the possibility of a life prison sentence by admitting that he fatally stabbed the assistant manager of a Toys R Us store. Instead, Grucza will be sentenced to 25 years in state prison in return for his guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter. If he had stood trial and been convicted of his original charge of second-degree murder, he would have faced 25 years to life in prison. Grucza, a regional vice president for loss control for Toys R Us at the time of the attack, said he used a knife to stab Laurence C. “Larry” Wells II. Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III said his prosecutors could have used DNA evidence to prove Grucza twice stabbed Wells. But proving Grucza went to the store intending to kill Wells would have been harder. Authorities believe Grucza went to the Toys R Us store to steal money, but unexpectedly encountered Wells. However, Grucza never revealed his motive for going to the store. Wells’ family supported the plea deal because it puts Grucza in prison for more than two decades, Sedita said.


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Even the design of the courtrooms, with plenty of sunlight and space, can help calm witnesses or defendants in high-stress cases, some judges believe.


But nothing can prevent every violent courtroom outburst. Authorities said that when a 5-foot-11, 230- pound, pen-wielding defendant rushed a witness during his racketeering trial Monday, a more old-fashioned form of security left him dead: an armed U.S. marshal.


Shootings in courtrooms are uncommon, largely because metal detectors ensure armed spectators don't reach them.


U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell declared a mistrial after the shooting, noting in her order that jurors were visibly shaken and upset. She issued a separate order extending the jurors' term of service "until counseling is no longer needed."


And when all that fails, she noted, "we have a very highly trained police force in the marshals."


"You can't be a judge very long without having a trial that presents concerning situations," Pechman said. "We handle them by talking them through with the marshals. ... This sounds like something that could have happened at any courthouse, at any time."


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