Mrs. Lieberman's Trial, Day 2

When Grandmother learned that I had attended the first day of Mrs. Lieberman's trial, she was happy, and she encouraged me to go back for the whole trial, and to pay close attention. She said the things I learn at court might help me later in life. During opening arguments this morning, the lead prosecutor told the jurors it was an open-and-shut case, that they were going to see video evidence that clearly shows Mrs. Lieberman stealing the 16th-century vase from the art museum. And just before he sat down, he told the jury that this theft was not an isolated incident. Mrs. Lieberman used her time to apologize to the jury for having to be indoors on such a nice day. She also asked them to bear with her because she is not a professional attorney, adding that she lives in a nursing home without any law books or even a computer. She said that at her age it is easy to get confused and make an honest mistake. The prosecution then began its case against Mrs. Lieberman. The prosecutor wasted no time, and for the first witness, called the head of security for the museum. This witness talked about locking up for the night, and then about watching the security footage the next morning. The prosecutor showed some of the footage, including Mrs. Lieberman coming out of the bathroom and then removing the vase and putting it in a large shopping bag. The prosecutor also showed multiple sales receipts from Mrs. Lieberman's purchases at the museum gift shop, including a coffee from just an hour before the vase was stolen. During cross examination, Mrs. Lieberman asked the head of security why he didn't check to make sure everyone was out of the building before locking up. And she asked him if he came out of a bathroom in a strange place and found no one around, might he himself get confused. He admitted that he might. Before she let him step down from the witness stand, she said that if someone were going to steal something from the art museum, wouldn't it be much easier to steal a cup of coffee and post cards than a 16th-century vase? Yet, those were paid for, as the receipts clearly showed. I looked over at the jury then, and saw that two of the jurors were nodding their heads. That's a good sign for Mrs. Lieberman.