The Judge, the Jury, and the Social Media

By: Cassidy Crawford, Staff Writer

It is few and far between to find someone that does not partake in at least some form of social media.¹ Whether your app of choice is Facebook, or you find yourself gravitating more towards the likes of TikTok, it is likely that you engage in at least one method of media.² In fact, as of July 2024, 63.7 percent of the world’s population were found to be social media users.³ An interesting aspect of social media is its ability to expose people to issues that they may have otherwise never experienced. This trend can be seen with a variety of issues facing our society, but increasingly with our legal system.⁴ Recently, the world of social media (specifically TikTok), has rallied around the Menendez Brothers and Marcellus Williams.⁵

Marcellus Williams was an inmate in Missouri convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, and burglary.⁶ Williams was sentenced to death and his sentence was completed on September 24^th, 2024, by lethal injection.⁷ However, there were several controversies surrounding Williams’ execution, as it was believed that the state had destroyed or corrupted evidence that could prove Williams’ innocence.⁸ In a world where the attitude around capital punishment is growing increasingly more negative, it is no surprise that the world of TikTok rallied so heavily around Williams.⁹ Countless videos were posted by a great number of creators detailing the Williams case, the evidence that was mishandled, and pleading for people to sign petitions.¹⁰ According to the Innocence Project, two petitions opposing the execution gathered more than one million signatures.¹¹

In recent weeks, TikTok has now rallied around a new duo they believe to be in need of justice.¹² The Menendez brothers, Erik and Lyle, have been in prison since 1996, after being convicted of killing their parents.¹³ The brothers maintain that they killed their parents in self-defense after suffering abuse for years from the two people that were supposed to protect them most.¹⁴ There have been various documentaries and TV shows made about the brothers which have helped their case to stay relevant.¹⁵ According to a Texas trial lawyer, Tray Gober, “Social media has played a crucial role in keeping the Menendez brothers’ case in the public eye, captivating public interest, and putting political pressure on the district attorney to re-examine the evidence.”¹⁶ People on social media have been sympathizing with the brothers, sharing what they would have done in similar circumstances and calling for their freedom.¹⁷

It is necessary to ask ourselves why TikTok and other social media platforms are becoming increasingly interested in the legal system and specifically these two cases. In both situations, a lot of distrust with the legal system can be created for the reasons that follow.¹⁸ Marcellus Williams was executed, despite public belief that his case had been mishandled. The idea that an innocent man could be killed at the hand of the American legal system highlights the importance of finding a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.¹⁹ Although Williams’ execution was not halted, social media undoubtedly had a large impact, with numerous posts raising awareness of social issues regarding capital punishment.²⁰

As for the Menendez brothers, prosecutors attempted to frame the brothers as “driven by greed”, and even successfully limited testimony regarding abuse allegations against their parents.²¹ It can be difficult for many that have faced similar abuse to sympathize with the Menendez parents and trust a court system that punishes two brothers who decided to act against their alleged abusers.²² It can be argued that the public views these issues with a more emotional lens than the courts do. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it might bring a more human approach to issues that are not as clear cut as the court might seem to view them as. While the public was not able to prevent the death of Marcellus Williams, the social media outcry for the Menendez brothers has helped in leading the Los Angeles district attorney to consider new evidence on the case.²³ It is obvious in both situations that social media holds great power and that people using these mediums as a method to spread their voices does not go unnoticed, even in our legal system.

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