UPDATE 7/5/11: Susan has won first place in the 2011 Florida Society of News Editors’ Journalism Contest for Use of Social Media in Breaking News! Congratulations Susan!
Susan Spencer-Wendel, courts reporter for The Palm Beach Post for more than a decade, tweets live from trials as @SpenWen.
In 2009, Susan played a role in media-law history when The Palm Beach Post requested on her behalf – and won – clearance from a federal judge for reporters to tweet from court in the Southern District of Florida.
Last year, Susan continued the momentum by establishing herself as the must-follow source in South Florida for courtroom happenings and notable moments, big and small.
In June 2010, she live-tweeted from the trial of D’Andre Bannister, accused (and later convicted) of beating his 4-year-old stepson, Tarquez Woodson (right), to death.
It had taken eight years to bring the man to trial.
Like all of Susan’s live tweets from big trials, her updates from the closing day of the Bannister case, June 24, were embedded on the home page of PalmBeachPost.com.
Susan’s tweets not only broke news, including the verdict, much more quickly than traditional web story updates can, but she captured a texture and a sense of place at the courthouse that typical web updates often lack.
5 hours of deliberation so far. Jurors just took smoke break. I saw them smiling and chit-chatting, so they're still speaking to each other.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 24, 2010
There's just been a knock at the jury room door.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 24, 2010
A bailiff just walked out of vestibule, shaking her head.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 24, 2010
The entire courtroom is absolutely silent, trying to eavesdrop…—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 24, 2010
When the verdicts were read, she broadcast them instantaneously, not only to her followers but, because of the widget in place, directly to The Post’s homepage.
On the charge of first-degree murder? Guilty of second degree murder—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 24, 2010
On the charge of aggravated child abuse charge? Guilty.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 24, 2010
One the charge of kidnapping a child under 13? Guilty.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 24, 2010
On the twinning charge of kidnapping the boy's mother? Not Guilty—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 24, 2010
Leading up to the trial’s closing day, Susan tweeted an exchange with the defense attorney, who had failed to mention in his closing statement a key piece of evidence: handprints on the child.
"You know there were handprints on this child," — one of Skiles' first remarks to the jury.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 23, 2010
Lerman, nibbling away at points, at conflicts in evidence, but not yet, for example, even mentioning the word "handprint."—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 23, 2010
I asked Lerman why he didn't address the handprints found on the boy in his closing statement to jurors. "I forgot," Lerman said.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 23, 2010
Made me recall Steve Martin's old routine "I forgot armed robbery is illegal." http://bit.ly/j0yr—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 23, 2010
I told Lerman that. He didn't appear amused.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 23, 2010
Susan captured many such moments in real time:
Prosecutor Caracuzzo just led McNeal through a gauntlet of heartbreaking questions, about seeing her son lying on life support.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 15, 2010
What did he look like? "He had tubes everywhere. A tube in his head, a tube in his mouth, a tube in nose, a breathing machine everything."—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 15, 2010
Upon returning from me own bathroom break, passed by defense attorney Lerman headed out courtroom door muttering "This is bull#@%!"—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 15, 2010
Chapman now grillin' her about leaving her other children in Bannister's care while with Tarquez at the hospital.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 15, 2010
Defense attorneys love to eat away at witnesses, bite by bite, kinda like rodents nibblin' away.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 15, 2010
K. Jury is being sent home for the day as lawyers try to sort out what the doctor did or did not say. Tarquez's mother is clearly annoyed.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 21, 2010
"It's not okay," she says to those sitting next to her "I'm ready for closure!"—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 21, 2010
The morning started with a screaming match n courthouse hallway, victims from another murder case unhappy with course of that case.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 23, 2010
Prosecutor Cheryl Caracuzzo ran from the Bannister courtroom asking, "Is it our people?" Twas not. The many family members here r respectful—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 23, 2010
Skiles picks up the small broom in evidence, slapping handle against her palm, mimicking how Bannister allegedly struck the boy on the back.—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 23, 2010
"He repeatedly whacked him, " she said, striking her palm. And the circular bruises on the boy? "Where Bannister poked him with tip."—
Susan Spencer-Wendel (@SpenWen) June 23, 2010
Pingback: Live-blogging from court – using CoveritLive – invites readers to interact with the news | Web Up the Newsroom