Literary Las Vegas: Jack Miller
While many people are aware of grand juries and the indictments they present, few know how they are formed, the kinds of cases they hear or the details of deliberations.
Jack Miller, Las Vegas author of seven books, served on Las Vegas’ Grand Jury B from October 2011 to October 2012. Without divulging the suspects’ identities or locations of crimes, Miller shares his experiences and those of others in the book “Sin City Indictment: Inside the Las Vegas Grand Jury,” put out by the local publisher Houdini Publishing.
“My year of service was one of the most rewarding years of my life,” Miller wrote. “It might be strange to the reader to learn that our panel consisted of seventeen people from various walks of life but every one of us wanted our term to be extended for a second year. The cases are interesting, the jurors compatible and the feeling of accomplishment sincere.”
Excerpt from ‘Sin City Indictment: Inside the Las Vegas Grand Jury’
Grand jury testimony is secret where a preliminary hearing before a judge is not. High profile cases, such as medical malpractice or chid molestation, heard by a grand jury avoid media frenzies. In cases of habitual criminals, these are much more easily presented to a grand jury as would cases involving multiple suspects. Gang investigation cases are much safer for witnesses if presented to a grand jury. If a gang member testified in open court about the activities of the gang he most probably would be in harm’s way. Other cases involving witness tampering are also most always considered for grand jury presentation. In cases where witnesses are reluctant to testify, such as a friend or relative of an accused, are favorable grand jury cases.
