Theft defendant Joseph Jakubowski was going to testify at his trial, but one thing stopped that. He refused to raise his hand.
Prosecutors said the 33-year-old stole over a dozen firearms from a Janesville, Wisconsin gun store. His testimony, however, ended before it even began. While the jury was absent from the room, Jakubowski refused to follow some basic procedures typical for witnesses.
“I ain’t swearing to God because I don’t believe in it,” he said. He also refused to raise his hand because “I’ve seen people lie under oath,” so the practice was pretty pointless.
The clerk read him the oath, and asked him if he could follow it.
“Sure, yeah,” he said, then took the stand. Everything seemed ready to start. Jurors would’ve seen the somewhat rare image of a defendant testifying.
Nope.
“I’ve give them the truth, but I’m not raising my hand,” he told the court. “What does that mean?”
Jakubowski changed his mind about testifying after a brief conservation with his attorney. That was that. The defense rested their case, and the court sent jurors home. Closing arguments are set for Tuesday.
His case drew attention because police said he addressed a 161-page handwritten manifesto to President Donald Trump.
[Screengrab via Law&Crime Network]
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