These courtroom scenes will shock you! For this list, we’ll be looking at the most startling instances of chaos caught on camera in the supposed establishment of law and order.
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00:00 If you want to fight, let's go out back and I'll just beat your ass.
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most shocking
00:10 courtroom moments caught on tape.
00:14 For this list, we'll be looking at the most startling instances of chaos caught on camera
00:19 in the supposed establishment of law and order.
00:23 Which of these courtroom moments shocked you the most?
00:26 Let us know in the comments below.
00:29 10.
00:30 Melissa Harvick Attacks Judge The judge's bench holds significant power
00:35 within a courtroom and, as a result, should be treated with respect.
00:40 But in July 2011, a Wayne County, Kentucky woman named Melissa Harvick crossed the line
00:46 when she threatened a judge and attempted to physically assault her.
00:53 Harvick was in court for a domestic violence hearing, presided over by Judge Jennifer Edwards.
00:58 During the proceedings, Harvick repeatedly interrupted her estranged husband and was
01:05 charged with contempt of court.
01:08 Just as she was sentenced to 10 days in jail, Harvick lunged at Edwards but was immediately
01:12 restrained by the deputies.
01:18 She received additional criminal charges, including terroristic threats, intimidating
01:22 a judge and resisting arrest.
01:31 9.
01:33 Ricky Hand Throws Waste At Attorney We're gagging just thinking about this one.
01:40 Defendant Ricky Hand had allegedly orchestrated a series of armed robberies in the town of
01:44 Ohio's Springfield.
01:46 He pleaded guilty to seven criminal charges and was handed a 40-year prison term, which
01:51 he clearly was not pleased with.
01:56 Instead of simply voicing out his displeasure, Hand took a more extreme step.
02:01 He pulled out a plastic bottle containing his own feces from his arm sling and threw
02:06 the contents at his attorney.
02:09 It didn't take long for deputies to tackle and restrain him.
02:16 For his filthy actions, Hand faced charges of harassment with bodily substance for each
02:21 person he hit.
02:23 A total of five counts.
02:28 8.
02:30 TJ Lane's Egregious Lack Of Remorse In February of 2012, TJ Lane, a student at
02:38 Chardon High School in Ohio, went on a rampage that claimed the lives of three students and
02:44 injured three others.
02:46 Lane initially pleaded insanity but later admitted guilt to three counts of aggravated
02:50 murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of felonious assault.
02:56 At his sentencing hearing, Lane donned a white t-shirt with the word "killer" written
03:00 across it and smirked as the victim's family spoke.
03:04 As if that wasn't shocking enough, when asked to give a statement, Lane flicked his
03:09 middle finger at the families and mocked the memories of their loved ones.
03:14 He later received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
03:19 7.
03:20 Judge Tracey Hunter Dragged Out Of Courtroom Ohio Judge Tracey Hunter found herself on
03:26 the wrong side of the law in October 2014 when she was convicted of having an unlawful
03:32 interest in a public contract.
03:39 The court found that Hunter had abused her position by giving confidential documents
03:43 to her brother to help him retain his job.
03:46 As a result, she lost her own job and law license and was sentenced to six months in
03:51 jail.
03:59 Hunter reportedly went limp upon hearing the sentence and was dragged out of the courtroom
04:03 by one of the deputies.
04:05 She would later file a former inmate grievance, claiming that the use of force dehumanized
04:10 her and worsened the pre-existing medical condition.
04:14 6.
04:15 Judge James Convery's Derogatory Remarks This surveillance video came from a courtroom
04:22 in Essex County, New Jersey.
04:24 Attorney Yvette Alvarez was representing her client in a divorce case overseen by Judge
04:28 James Convery.
04:36 When Alvarez's client couldn't produce his social security statements, Convery expressed
04:40 skepticism, leading Alvarez to mention that she hadn't received her own social security
04:45 statements either.
04:51 This prompted a racially insensitive remark from the judge.
04:57 Alvarez, a former president of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey, left the courtroom
05:02 in disbelief and subsequently filed a complaint against Convery.
05:11 Following an investigation by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, the judge was
05:15 reprimanded for his behavior.
05:18 5.
05:19 Keysaun Wilkins Fakes a Heart Attack The best way to avoid prison is by refraining
05:25 from crime.
05:27 The second best way?
05:28 According to this Ohio defendant, just fake a heart attack.
05:37 In June 2008, Keysaun Wilkins faced multiple criminal charges, including felonious assault,
05:43 and decided to represent himself during the trial.
05:46 On the second day, while questioning a witness, Wilkins expressed signs of discomfort and
05:51 suddenly collapsed to the floor.
06:03 It appeared that the defendant/attorney was having a heart attack.
06:07 Despite the apparent distress, medical assessments showed that Wilkins was fine.
06:20 His antics proved dead on arrival, as he was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 42 years
06:26 in prison.
06:28 4.
06:29 Monica Contreras Is Wrongfully Arrested Although the incident leading to this wrongful
06:34 arrest wasn't recorded, the aftermath is just as troubling.
06:42 In August 2011, Monica Contreras attended a divorce hearing with her daughter at a Nevada
06:47 family courts.
06:49 The proceedings concluded smoothly, but afterwards, Court Marshal Ron Fox took Contreras to another
06:54 room for an unexplained drug search.
07:06 Upon returning, an upset Contreras said that Fox had told her to lift up her shirts.
07:12 Fox denied her claims and, alongside another Marshal, placed her under arrest.
07:18 Throughout the ordeal, hearing master Patricia Doniger ignored Contreras.
07:30 After Contreras sued, an internal investigation validated her claims, which also included
07:35 the accusation that Fox had groped her, and she was awarded a $200,000 settlement.
07:41 The incident also led to the dismissal of Fox, the second Marshal, and eventually, Doniger.
07:47 3.
07:48 Chaos Erupts At Dexter Johnson's Sentencing In June 2007, 19-year-old Dexter Johnson received
07:56 a death sentence in Harris County, Texas.
07:59 The summer before, he and a group of friends had allegedly carjacked Maria Aparici and
08:04 her boyfriend, Quayt Null.
08:06 Johnson had sexually assaulted Aparici and then killed the couple.
08:10 The death sentence didn't go down well with the defendant or his family.
08:23 Once the sentence was read, Johnson sat down in shock, and his mother wailed.
08:31 Suddenly, Johnson erupted in a violent rage, knocking down a computer monitor as he lunged
08:38 in the direction of the victim's family.
08:45 He was swiftly restrained by officers and taken out of the courtroom.
08:50 2.
08:51 Judge Brawls With Public Defender Courtroom disputes are meant to be settled
08:55 according to the law, but that legal standard didn't seem to matter to Florida Judge John
09:00 C. Murphy.
09:01 Surveillance footage from the Brevard County courtroom shows Murphy getting into a heated
09:12 argument with attorney Andrew Weinstock.
09:21 After threatening Weinstock, Murphy suggested they settle their dispute with their fists,
09:26 and the two men walked off screen.
09:32 While the actual fight wasn't caught on camera, shouts and punching noises can be heard on
09:37 the tape, prompting applause in the courtroom.
09:48 As this wasn't the wild, wild west, Murphy was fired from his position by the Florida
09:53 Supreme Court.
10:07 1.
10:15 Michael Marin Dies After Guilty Verdict
10:19 After his Phoenix, Arizona mansion went up in flames in 2009, Michael Marin was charged
10:24 with arson and insurance fraud.
10:32 Prosecutors argued that he had set his house on fire due to financial troubles.
10:37 Although no life was lost, Marin still faced serious prison time if convicted.
10:42 On June 28, 2012, the jury returned a guilty verdict.
10:46 We can't show the chaos that ensued, but we can describe it.
10:51 Dropping his face into his hands, Marin appeared to put something in his mouth.
10:56 Soon after, he suffered convulsions and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
11:00 It was revealed upon hearing his guilty verdict, Marin decided to take his own life by ingesting
11:05 a lethal dose of cyanide.
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