As many of you watch the proceedings of the David Wilcox Insurance Fraud Trial, there’s much more to just putting a camera in the courtroom …  In April of this year, WFSB began discussions with the Judicial Branch’s External Affairs Department along with Judge Mullarkey to determine the logistics of placing a camera in Hartford Superior Court for the first time to cover a trial.  This new option comes as part of the Pilot Program, to test the process of cameras covering trials.    I met with Judge Mullarkey several times, along with attorney John Malone from the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office and Ray Hassett, David Wilcox’s attorney.   We discussed the rules of what could be shot, what couldn’t be shot and many other logistics to help bring coverage of the trial to those who wanted to be part of the proceedings.   

Certainly, one of the main items of discussion was protection of the identifications of the jurors.   Judge Mullarkey set strict parameters for us to not show the jurors while the case was ongoing.    Additionally, many of our staff members have been vital to bringing this case to you – live as it happens.    Our web department who makes sure the video is up and running for the world to see and read, our assignment desk who assigns staff to cover the event, and members of our engineering department who ran about 200 feet of cable from inside the courtroom, out to the lobby, down a hallway, out a window and down the side of a building to our live truck.  Last but not least, our photographer Mike Kopelman has been the dedicated photographer in the courtroom each day of the trial.   Mike will tell you he’s not a lawyer, but he can certainly now give a good explanation of the trial and has gained lots of interesting information about insurance policies, etc.     With that said, Mike is a great example of more open access to court.   By having this access, Mike has learned alot from watching and listening.   He’s become educated in an area that he didn’t have much background on and now he better understands our judicial system at work.   This can be you… if you’re interested in our judicial branch of government at work; watch, listen, and learn.   It’s an educational benefit – a much better opportunity than tuning into Law & Order.

Best, Dave Ward

Prosecution Makes Final Arguments

Defense Makes Final Arguments

Judge Gives Jurors Final Instructions In Wilcox Trial

Since May 16th, our camera has been watching the proceedings in Judge Edward Mullarkey’s courtroom as he oversees the insurance fraud trail of David Wilcox. Wilcox was the owner of the trucking company involved in the accident. The case is a result of the tradgic accident on Avon Mountain in July of 2005. State prosecutors allege that within 20 minutes of learning of the crash on Avon Mountain, Wilcox called his wife, Donna, and told her to restore liability coverage on the truck that caused the accident. Wilcox faces criminal charges of attempted first-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny and attempted insurance fraud.

This week, our cameras will take you a step further into Hartford Superior Court for the Wilcox trial as the lense of the camera delivers a LIVE look into end of the proceedings. This week, it’s expected that insurance fraud trial will wrap up, with the verdict from a jury of Wilcox’s peers. When the jury returns from their deliberations, tune into Eyewitness News Now, WFSB’s cable channel available on cable systems throughout the state. The case will also be carried live on WFSB.com.

While we’re not exactly sure when the jury will return with a verdict, stay tuned to WFSB, WFSB.com and my blog for the latest news and information.

Additionally, sign up to receive WFSB’s breaking news alerts. When the jury returns, we’ll send out an email to let you know when you’ll be able to see the court action LIVE – as it’s happening. >Sign up for Breaking News alerts

Thanks to the Law & Orders, Shark, and other procedural dramas on television; we all consider ourselves experts in courtroom drama.  “I object! May I approach the bench your honor? Will the defendant please rise?” are all phrases we’ve come to be very familiar with.

But now… Our couch-potato expertise can be put the test thanks to our state’s judicial branch of government further opening its doors to allow the media inside with cameras.   After a couple of years of discussions, studies and a variety of committees, action was taken to make our judicial branch more open to the public.

Part of a more open judicial branch was to allow cameras in the courtrooms.   Since a change of the rules went into effect in January, you the viewer have had countless opportunities to experience what happens in the court through the lens of the camera.     In addition to our in-depth coverage of news stories that are moving through our legal system, this section of our website will bring you further into the courtroom, with additional raw video.  This opportunity will allow visitors to our website to become further educated about our legal system and gain a new respect for a part of our society which often seemed to be behind closed doors.  

Cameras have visited just about every courthouse across our state, but what’s been truly interesting from my perspective has been how encouraging our Judges have been to bring the court process to more people.

One big reason why broadcast news is my chosen profession is because of the curiosity of what was happening behind the scenes.  It inspired to me to be part of the process.  To put a newscast together it takes much more than an anchor – like my friend Al Terzi.  It takes a whole circus of extremely talented people to inform you of what’s happening in the world.   As a member of the media who’s been a liaison to the Judicial Branch for cameras in the court, I’ve found the court process very much like getting news on the air.   Like Al Terzi, the Judge is vital, but the support staff, security, lawyers, clerks and others all make up a critical operation to allow us to live in a “just” world.   That’s what we hope to bring you in this blog… A more in-depth look at cases and some education so you don’t have to depend on Law & Order but rather on our local judges and court staff to make you a more informed citizen.

On this site, take a look at some raw video WFSB cameras have captured in CT courtrooms.

The first piece of video – titled – Murder Sentencing – provides an extremely interesting look at the sentencing part of the process.  Here, Hartford Superior Court Judge David Gold sentences four suspects convicted of murder in the Alexandria Clouse-Desmond.  Shown here, Judge Gold sentences one of the suspects… but he doesn’t just hand down the sentence – he outlines the reasons for what he is about to impose.   It’s an interesting look inside our court system.  It shows how much work a judge much under take to make sure our system is fair and equitable.

The next piece of video – titled – Wilcox Insurance Fraud Trial – provides another interesting look at our judicial process.    Here, Hartford Superior Court Judge Edward Mullarkey oversees this very high profile case related to the fiery crash on Avon Mountain.   Witnesses, evidence, video presentations, cell phone records are all put on display before the jury to help them make a decision.

There two more interesting pieces of video we have here on the blog.   Several Superior Court Judges from around CT stepped down from the bench and took on TV roles.   CT Law Day is celebrated throughout the month of May and the Judges wanted to share that news with the citizens of CT. 

Additionally, the Judges wanted to remind and encourage CT citizens of the rules in our legal process.   So they took another Public Service Annoucement opportunity to discuss Jury Duty.   Both PSA’s are informative and can educate you further on how our judicial system works.

Stay tuned for more Inside CT Courts video and additions to my blog.  Next up, we’ll take you behind the scenes to explain the process of how our cameras get approved to enter the court – giving you a bird’s eye view of the proceedings.

Blog by: Dave Ward – Assignment Manager

Watch Murder Sentencing

Wilcox Insurance Fraud Trial

Jury Duty

National Law Day