Collingdale Corner

Worman Update: Juror’s Reactions

Posted by: Leese on: September 19, 2008

The front page of the Delco Times that looking at Worman was like looking into the eyes of Satan.

Too much credit. He’s more like a mindless minion…

At any rate.. the article is copied below. I read it… I almost lost my breakfast. In a way, I wish I was on that jury. I’m sure there a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment amoung the jury that THEY were the ones responsible for putting these degenerates away. I would have liked to feel like that… that I would forever be associated with putting probably the worst child abuser behind bars.

The other half of me is glad that I wasn’t. I wouldn’t want to have had to look at those images… because they would have stuck with me as I’m sure they will for the jurors. I really don’t know if I would be able to handle that. The courts appointed a psychiatrist :: or psychologist :: to talk with the jurors after the trial. That’s commendable… because whether or not they consciencely thought they neede done… subconsciencely they did.

But regardless of what they saw… I really feel for the victims. They had to live through it.. they had to bear witness to it… and as sad as it is to say, I don’t think any of them will be able to move on from it. It’s one of those things that I think affect a person for the rest of their lives.. the decisions that they make.. the value they place on themselves… how they allow themselves to be treated by others.

It’s a ripple affect.. and I don’t think we’re any where close to understanding how damaged these kids are.. even more sadly, we won’t.

Jury members describe child predator as ‘Satan’
PHILADELPHIA – A federal jury Thursday convicted an Upper Darby mother on charges she aided and abetted John Jackey Worman, found guilty a day earlier of related child-predator charges.
And members of the panel said Worman was perceived during the trial as evil personified.
“It was like looking at Satan sitting at the table,” juror Joseph Springer said about Worman.
Springer made his comments after the jury had been released Thursday from its two-week ordeal.
During the trial, the jurors had the painful task of viewing unspeakable images of children as young as 3 months old being sexually assaulted by Worman, 41, of Colwyn.
The case had been so traumatic that U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Stengel arranged for jurors to meet with a psychologist Thursday.
After the panel had finalized its last task Thursday and delivered the guilty verdicts against Dorothy Prawdzik, 44, of Drexel Hill, members remained closeted with the psychologist for several hours at the federal courthouse.
Several said they appreciated the counseling session because the evidence had been so disturbing.
“We have some visuals in our mind that we can’t get rid of,” said Desma Johnson, another juror.
During the proceedings, computer monitors were set up directly in front of the panel members to view the evidence. However, reporters and spectators in the courtroom were shielded from seeing the material by a privacy screen.
“It was excruciatingly difficult – something a sane, normal human being should never have to look at,” said Simon Yachooh, 35, a flight attendant and jury foreman.
Yachooh was the juror who, after looking at the pathetic images of an infant being victimized, told U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Stengel that he needed a break.
My eyes couldn’t take it any more,” said Yachooh.
However, as juror foreman, Yachooh used his piercing brown eyes to stare directly at Worman and deliver the guilty verdicts to 56 counts in a case in which authorities had to sift through more than a million horrific images of children being victimized.
Worman was convicted Wednesday by the same jury of 55 counts of manufacturing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography in what could be one of the worst cases in the nation because of the sheer volume of images found in the defendant’s possession.
The case involved voluminous images of child pornography – most snapped by the defendant while he committed anal, oral and vaginal sex on the youngsters ranging from infants to 15 years old during a nine-year period.
After the verdicts against Prawdzik were delivered and she was being handcuffed to be taken back to jail, FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coughlin gave a thumbs-up signal to Delaware County Detective Sgt. Jack Kelly. Both had been involved in the long investigation leading to the pair’s convictions.
“Justice was served today and (Wednesday),” said Kelly. The veteran detective said when he first got a look at the enormity of the child pornography confiscated by lawmen he knew that “they (Worman and Prawdzik) had to be taken off of the streets.”
Both face life in jail. Stengel set sentencing for them for Dec. 18, at 11 a.m. for Worman and 1:30 p.m. for Prawdzik.
The defendants went on trial together, but were separated for verdicts so that Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rotella could bring in Prawdzik’s statement, which also incriminated Worman. However, under the law, her admission could not be used against him.
Prawdzik seemed to grow pale with the readings of each count of guilty. However, she stared straight ahead.
“Was she surprised? No. Upset? Yes,” said court-appointed defense counsel Steven Laver.
Prawdzik was convicted of 15 counts of producing and possessing pornography. Videos and still photos showed Prawdzik undressing and then posing the naked youngsters on a chair or safe in front of camera to feed Worman’s predatory appetite.
Juror Johnson, who is a grandmother, couldn’t fathom how Prawdzik, as a mother, could “offer up” children to Worman.
“How can a mother do that?” she asked. “It’s just plain, old humanity. How can one human being do that to another – let alone (do it to) a child?”
In one of the videos that included sound, Prawdzik could be heard ordering a victim to “spread her legs.” A childish voice asks “why” and Prawdzik continues demanding the child do as she is told.
In another, a child is heard telling Worman, “It hurts … it hurts.”
Rotella said there is a video that shows children innocently doing homework when Worman comes up for sex.
Following the verdicts, Rotella said she sees little difference between Worman and Prawdzik.
Some of the victims were in Prawdzik’s care and Rotella told the jury the defendant was the “last line of defense” for those youngsters.
“Instead of protecting them, she victimized them over and over again,” Rotella said in her closing argument. “She made a conscious choice – to allow John Worman to do what he did.”
The jurors said while the evidence was overwhelming, they went through each and every element during deliberations.
“The evidence didn’t leave much to disagree on.”
They did offer kind words for Laver and court-appointed defense attorney Mark Cedrone, who represented Worman.
“In the defense’s defense, they valiantly and conscientiously did their jobs,” said a juror.
“The evidence spoke for itself,” added Yachooh. “They were guilty of heinous crimes.”

6 Responses to "Worman Update: Juror’s Reactions"

I was on this jury. It really has forever changed my life. I look forward to the sentencing on December 8th.

Your insight to this case was dead on, and I really appreciate you compassion and encouragement for the things we as a jury endured for those 2 weeks. Thank you.

Juror 11: My sincere thanks for commenting and your kind words. I can’t even begin to imagine the horrors that you all had to view and it is not without thanks that I don’t have to.

I have continued to keep all the people associated with this trial in my prayers because even though it is naive to think that one could come to terms with what was seen, I pray at least that everyone finds some type of peace within themselves.

I also look forward to the sentencing. My only regret is that whatever befalls these degenerates, it is SO not punishment enough.

Thank you again.

I have family and freinds that are in and out of jail. And all of them have said that these type of people dont last in Jail. There own cell mates take justice in there hand. I hope they suffer at the hands of another (just like them kids). Both of them!!!!

God in heaven forgives ALL THINGS. I guess that’s why he’s God and we’re not. Some things would just be too much for a human to forgive. I feel bad about the silent wishes I have inside for harm to befall them in prison. I don’t like feeling like I actually WANT something bad to happen to another human being….. but the feelings are there. I’m not ascociated with the case or crime in anyway, I don’t even live in the U.S., but this really pained my heart to read. For their sakes I hope they atleast find peace with God. He’s probably the only living being that can deal with them compassionately now. He’s probably the only living being willing to forgive them now……….(a tear)

Just consider your mentality for a second….

“molesting deserves molesting, or worse”

When you take this kind of mentality, what makes you any better than the serial killer, who was abused as a child?

You see where this leads?

If having one bad action happening, justifies ANOTHER bad action, then you’ve just justified all kinds of bad actions perpetrated by all kinds of criminals.

“we” are supposed to be ABOVE the wrong-doers, not on the same level.

Now granted, this guy in particular, wasn’t apparently abused as a youth, but then again, the particulars of his youth we don’t really know.

Who knows what leads to some people turning to bad/evil things?

If you really want to make an impact, the best thing you can do is to love and forgive your enemy.

Yes, I know that sounds crazy, but it is the truth.

The only thing that is going to heal is that.

And when you are healed, and can offer love and forgiveness to a person doing wrong, they can either stay locked in their darkness, or come out and be awed.

Either way, God will have HIS vengeance.

And we ALL have a depraved nature, no matter how much we’d like to convince ourselves that we don’t.

What’s with all this religious nonsense? If there is a God, then Worman is one of God’s creations. Which means God is a hideous creature, indeed…

Worman has free will, just like all of us. He made a conscious decision to hurt children, again and again. Every single time he prepared to abuse a child, he could have stopped himself, but he did not. Why? Because he WANTED TO.

There’s no point “forgiving” a man like this. You might as well forgive the Black Plague for killing people. Or forgive the ocean for drowning someone.

He deserves to be placed in solitary confinement for the rest of his life. He should spend the next 40 years reflecting upon his crimes. He should be denied the option of ending his life prematurely.

Society can “rise above” such evil by not executing him. Do we have the right to take his life? No. Do we have the right to segregate a truly dangerous creature from the population indefinitely? Absolutely.

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