Grim Justice by Synova Cantrell

Author:Synova Cantrell [Cantrell, Synova]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 36592286
Publisher: Synova Ink
Published: 2017-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8:

Trial & Truth:

The trial of Joseph A. Peel began on Monday, March 6, 1961, in the old two-story St. Lucie County Courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida. Peel’s attorney had successfully fought for a change of venue citing the media attention and the local’s affection for the Chillingworths. Although he won a change of venue, the prosecutor brought with him enough animosity to compensate for it.

Fort Pierce was a little town an hour north of Palm Beach. While Fort Pierce has nearly 45,000 residents today, in 1961 there was less than half that. The town swelled with tourists from the south coming for the trial. The hotels were full of media and spectators. This was going to be Florida’s Trial of the Century.

The 52-year-old, whitewashed courthouse was built in 1909, and although it was state-of-the-art at the turn of the century, it was a crumbling shell of its former self now. One hundred hard, wooden chairs lined the back of the courtroom for the audience. The juror box had wooden seats fastened upon cast iron legs which in turn were bolted to the floor. There were no backs.

“Their spartan hardness will discourage drowsiness if the trial drones on too long,” A reporter for The News Tribune sarcastically commented. The building was in such a state of disrepair that by the end of 1960, it would be demolished and replaced.

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