Intense Courtroom Outbursts: Notable Trials and Defendants

Courtroom outbursts reveal intense emotions and chaotic dynamics during high-stakes trials.

### Intense Courtroom Outbursts: A Recap of Notable Trials
* ⚖ Courtroom proceedings can often remain calm, but there are moments of **intense outbursts** that stand out, such as in the trial of Scott Nelson, who was convicted of **murdering nanny Jennifer Fulford** after a robbery in Florida.
* 🔪 Nelson admitted on the stand that he killed Fulford to **eliminate a witness**, leading to a contentious penalty phase where a federal prison expert testified about Nelson's issues with **Muslim inmates**, prompting Nelson to react **angrily in court**.
* 👨 ‍⚖️ During the penalty phase, Nelson's **emotional outbursts** led to interruptions, showcasing his **frustration with how he was portrayed**, despite asking the jury for the **death penalty**, ultimately receiving a **life sentence** instead.
* 👨 In another case, Bessman Okafor, convicted of murdering 19-year-old Alex Zaldavar, faced a tense moment when Zaldavar's father confronted him in court, resulting in Okafor **cursing and being removed by deputies** to prevent further chaos.
* 🚗 Darrell Brooks, who killed six people by driving into a holiday parade, frequently clashed with Judge Jennifer Darrow, culminating in a tense moment where he **pounded his fist and stared her down**, showcasing his **disruptive behavior**.
* 📺 Alex Jones, during his trials related to the Sandy Hook shooting comments, displayed contrasting behaviors; initially **apologetic in Texas**, he later exhibited **anger and defiance in Connecticut**, culminating in a **nearly $1 billion judgment against him**.
* 👨 A particularly emotional outburst occurred during Larry Nassar's sentencing when Randall Margraves, father of three of Nassar's victims, requested a **private moment with Nassar**, leading to chaos in the courtroom and a moment of **raw emotion** that the judge ultimately acknowledged.
* 🙏 Margraves later apologized for his outburst, expressing his **desire to help his daughters heal**, illustrating the **deep emotional turmoil** faced by victims' families in such harrowing cases.

For the majority of the trials that we cover here on Long Crime and Sidebar, usually everything remains relatively calm, but there are moments when that just doesn't happen. So, we want to revisit some of these intense courtroom outbursts, and we're going to start with the trial of Scott Nelson. Scott Nelson was convicted of the murder of nanny Jennifer Fulford after he robbed a home out in Florida and then kidnapped her. And he admitted on the stand that he killed her so there wouldn't be a witness—just such an evil, evil crime. But then it became a matter of what should be his punishment: life in prison or the death penalty. And during the penalty phase of the trial, Roy Gravette, a federal prison expert, came on the stand, and he testified that Nelson had problems with Muslim inmates while behind bars. While Mr. Nelson didn't quite like the way that he was being portrayed, and he let everyone know about it inside the Japanese, can you read back the question? [Music]

Mr. Nelson, Mr. Nelson, you need to take a moment. Mr. Nelson, you need to take a moment of your attorney. Hold on, sir, sir, members of the jury. Mr. Nelson, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Nelson. Are we clear that you're going to stop talking? I need a verbal affirmative one. Mr. Nelson, talk, talk with your attorneys, and then your attorneys. I'm gonna admit Mr. Nelson, Mr. Nelson. Ms. Simmons has asked for a moment to talk with you privately. I'm going to grant her request, and you're gonna have that opportunity. You need to follow the deputy's instructions so they can facilitate this, okay? Go ahead speaking. What makes a person a murderer? Are they born to kill, or are they made to kill? Well, Killer Psyche Dally is a new podcast that gives you a quick 10-minute rundown every weekday on the motivations and behaviors of the criminal masterminds, psychopaths, and cold-blooded killers that you read about every day in the news. Host Candace De Long draws on her years as an FBI agent and criminal

profiler to break down these cases for you on killer psyche daily. Candace will give you insight into cases like Ryan Grantham, the actor who killed his mom, and of course the Stockton serial killer. She's also going to invite expert guests to dive deeper into the details and share what it was like to work at Quantico. She's also going to answer some killer trivia and even host a virtual Q&A that allows you to ask her questions. It is a unique show with unique insights for all True Crime followers out there. So Amazon Prime members, listen to the Amazon music exclusive podcast Killer Psyche Daily in the Amazon music app, and you can download the app today. He interrupts the testimony in his seat. That is so not allowed. The judge's excuse me. The attorneys can make objections. He can't say anything. And isn't it just so wild that he wants to proclaim he's not a racist. He had no problem saying he's a killer, but as long as everyone knows he's not a racist. Oh, okay, interestingly, I should tell you that

Nelson asked the jurors to give him the death penalty, and they actually sentenced him to life in prison. By the way, it's very common for defense to not be happy with what's being said in court, either to them or about them. But that does lead me to one other outburst that almost evolved into something much worse. It is the Florida penalty trial of Bessman Okafor, the man convicted of murdering 19-year-old Alex Zaldavar, with prosecutors saying he executed the teen to prevent him from testifying. And at a Spencer hearing, which under Florida law allows defendants to present additional evidence when determining a sentence, Zaldavar's father took the stand. And as you'll see, he makes comments directly to Okafor that the murderer didn't like. I just... I've run out of adjectives. I don't know what to say to this man anymore. But today will be the last time I will get to see him. But I will see you in 10 years. Thank you very much.

Let's take him outside for just a moment. Can you take that photograph? So, you have Mr. Zaldavar saying directly to the defendant, You're dead, and then Bessman cursing and saying, I'll show you how gangster I am. He was removed from the courtroom, and I'll tell you, if it wasn't for the Special Response Team of Orange County sheriff's deputies, who knows what could have happened in that courtroom. Little side note here: Okafor was sentenced to death, but that's kind of up in the air given how Florida changed their laws, which now requires a unanimous jury vote for the death penalty. But either way, what a moment. Now, sticking with the theme of angry defendants for a second, let's go to Darrell Brooks again. We talked about him extensively here on the program, the guy convicted of killing six people, injuring dozens of others after driving his car into a holiday parade out of Waukesha, Wisconsin. And as I've mentioned on the show before, Brooks, who decided to

represent represent himself got into major fights with Judge Jennifer Darrow, particularly since he would bring up relevant legal theories and would constantly complain that his rights were violated, and he just was overly disruptive of the proceedings. Yes, the arguments got intense at times, but no point was as bad as this. I'm going to give you a little bit of a setup here. What you're about to hear and see comes off of Brooks saying the prosecution wasn't playing fair. He made a baseless accusation that the state was coaching witnesses, and he was getting more and more angry, and then this happened. So, as long as the jury's out, we should probably discuss that. I would like to provide the defendant and the court with so that had to be that had to be said that index. That's not how it was set up. That was how I said. You want to run the record back, Mr. Brooks? I'm the only one. I got one ear that works, and I heard that this is to benefit you, so that was

your understanding is to benefit me. Your record, your honor. When I leave the table, I'm away from the courtroom, and I have to elevate my voice. [Music] Stop talking. One more interruption, and you're going to be removed to the next court. That's what you want to do anyway. It's not what I want to do. Do not interrupt attorney Opera. So, okay. I believe he has seven prior criminal convictions from 1997 and OWI third from 1997 and OWI fourth from 2003. Criminal Trespass to dwelling from 2007. I need to take a break. This man right now is having a stare down with me. It's very disrespectful. He pounded his fist. Frankly, it makes me scared. Wow. I mean, when have you heard a judge stop in court because of that? He slams his fist. He just stares her down. The level of patience that Judge Darrow had during the course of these proceedings is pretty remarkable. And I said it before, I'll say it again. When

People say, How come she didn't kick him out of the courtroom more? Why did she give him so much leeway? I was of the opinion that I think she wanted to ensure that she gave him every opportunity and every chance so that when he was convicted, which he was, he couldn't muster any kind of argument like the court was unfair to him. Just unbelievable, by the way. One more angry defendant that we have to address: Alex Jones. Now again, another case we've talked a lot about here on Sidebar. Well, Alex Jones had two trials that we covered: one in Texas and one in Connecticut. The Infowars host was sued over comments that he made that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was fake and that it was staged. And when he testified in his first trial in Texas, he took the stand and said that he didn't intend to harm anyone. He seemed almost apologetic, says that the shooting was 100% real. But then, after being hit with an almost 50 million dollar judgment, you have to wonder if something

changed because when his Connecticut trial happened later, some would say perhaps the real Alex Jones came out, at the very least a different side of Alex Jones. That's the real Rocky Parker, isn't it? I mean, I said years ago, again, Robert Patterson right here, he's real, isn't he? Yes, and for years you put a Target on his back to the objection to the form of that judge. Enough said his name. It's true. I would say other people's names. They are. You put a Target on his back just like he did every single parent and loved one sitting here. No, I didn't. No, you didn't. That's argumentative. There's no, that is speculative. There is no foundation for it, and it's inappropriate. These are real people. Move on just like all the Iraqis, but you liberals kill and love. It's just, you're unbelievable. You switch on emotions on and off when you want. You're, it's just ambulance Jason. Why don't you show a little respect? Objection, judge. I think that you get

what you give at school objection. You have families in this courtroom here that lost children, sisters, wives, moms. This is a struggle session. Are we in China? I've already said I'm sorry hundreds of times, and I'm done saying I'm sorry. I didn't regenerate this. I wasn't the first person to say it. American governors didn't like being

he was hit with an almost 1 billion dollar damages judgment. But what this part does is it really highlights some of the things that Jones was saying on his program. And some believe that this was all an act, that he was really pacifying his audience of followers, that this was all a show trial for him, and he was just trying to stand up to his enemies. All right, I couldn't talk about the most memorable courtroom outbursts without talking about one that is unlike anything else. This was during the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar, the former physician for the USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, who sexually abused hundreds of girls. Well, during a sentencing hearing out in Michigan, Randall Margraves, the father of three girls who were abused by Larry Nassar, asked the judge for a favor. And as you'll see, things erupted into chaos. Judge, what a distraught father have a chance to say something. I can't imagine anger and the anxiety and the feeling of wanting retribution. And if you need to say something to help

you I'm more than willing to let you say something, but in a courtroom, we try, we don't use profanity, but if you have some words that you would like to say, I would like to do the opportunity. I would ask you to, as part of this sentencing, to grant me five minutes in a locked room of this demon. Would you do that? All right, that is not yes or no. No. Would you give me one minute? [Music] [Music] You cannot behave like this. This is letting him have this. Yeah, I've never seen that before. That's why courtroom deputies are so important. In fact, the judge had to weigh whether imposing a contempt of court charge on him, and she ultimately denied doing so given the circumstances of the case. Margraves did apologize to the court. He said, I lost control. I apologized a hundred times. I'm definitely calmed down. I'm embarrassed. I'm not here to upstage my daughters. I'm here to help them heal. So yes, completely wrong for him to do, but also completely

understandable why he chose to do that. All right, everybody, that's all we have for you. Thank you so much for joining us here on Sidebar. Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time.

Top 5 Wildest Courtroom Outbursts from High-Profile Trials

Law&Crime Network

Intense Outbursts in the Scott Nelson Trial

Scott Nelson was convicted of murdering nanny Jennifer Fulford and caused a courtroom disruption during his trial.

His outburst came after a federal prison expert testified about his problems with Muslim inmates, leading to a heated exchange with the judge.

The trial also highlighted Nelson's contradictory claims, as he openly admitted to being a killer while insisting he was not a racist.

Outbursts in the Courtroom: A Dramatic Overview

Nelson requested the death penalty but was instead sentenced to life in prison.

Bessman Okafor's penalty trial for murdering Alex Zaldavar escalated when Zaldavar's father confronted him, leading to Okafor's removal from the courtroom.

Darrell Brooks, representing himself in his trial for killing six people, had intense confrontations with the judge and made baseless accusations against the prosecution, resulting in a dramatic outburst.

Tensions in the Courtroom: A Series of Disruptions

The judge faced multiple interruptions and disrespectful behavior from a defendant, leading to a tense courtroom atmosphere.

The judge's patience was notable, as she aimed to give the defendant every opportunity before his conviction.

Alex Jones' trials showcased a dramatic shift in his demeanor, with his later testimony raising questions about his true intentions.

The courtroom has seen emotional moments, particularly from families affected by tragic events, such as the loss of loved ones.

Alex Jones faced backlash for his comments and was hit with a significant damages judgment, leading some to believe his actions were a show for his followers.

Another notable outburst came from Randall Margraves, the father of abused girls, during Larry Nassar's sentencing hearing, where he sought retribution for his daughters' suffering.

A father in court requested a private moment with the accused, expressing his anger and frustration.

The judge considered imposing a contempt of court charge but ultimately denied it.

The father later apologized, stating he was there to help his daughters heal.