Justice demands another trial

Justice demands another trial

There is no doubt that the trials of Christopher Anderson, 43, are many.

Anderson has been convicted of murder once, but 7th District Court of Appeals overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial. He has had two trials end in mistrials and two more end in hung juries, including one in which a lone juror stood in the way of his second conviction. In the meantime, he has spent eight years incarcerated.

It’s understandable that his lawyer would claim enough is enough. It is more understandable that the mother of Amber Zurcher, the 22-year-old woman Anderson is accused of strangling to death, believes that justice for her daughter requires another trial.

Anguish vs. anxiety

In this debate, the anguish of a mother and society’s need for closure outweigh any claim that Anderson has undergone enough “harassment and anxiety,” as his lawyer put it, at the hands of the justice system.

Anderson can claim that he has spent an extraordinary time behind bars thus far. On the other hand, it could be argued that the justice system has given him every benefit of doubt, including the overturning of his conviction, the resolve of solitary juror who stood against a conviction and a mistrial occasioned when Anderson’s lawyer fell asleep during jury selection.

A sixth trial, which is scheduled to begin next month, is a lot — but it is not one too many.