- [Narrator] Court is the
most respected institution in the world. It's where people's entire
futures are sometimes at stake, and when you enter one you have to be on your best behavior. But the world has its
fair share of odd people, who can't act normal, even in the strict
confines of a courtroom. Let's get to it, to find
out the top 10 Court Scenes So Bizarre You Won't Believe
They Actually Happened! (whimsical music) Number 10, Mr. Wilkins. In 2008, Mr. Wilkins was in court for a felonious assault charge. He decided he wanted to
represent himself in court, even when encouraged by
the Judge to get a lawyer. A few years earlier he
represented himself, and was miraculously acquitted, despite having only an
8th grade education, so presumably he thought
the same thing would happen, but it didn't. He was in the middle of
questioning a police officer as part of his defense and knew he couldn't get
away with it this time. So he tried to act his way out of it, he collapsed to the floor,
faking a heart attack. - Your Honor, excuse me for a second. I need some time. (people chattering) - [Narrator] But this
Academy-Award winning performance definitely didn't bode
well with the judge. She had multiple police
officers and medics check out Mr. Wilkins,
and they all concluded he was completely faking it. After waking him up she had some choice words for Mr. Wilkins. - [Judge] You've been checked
out by trained deputies who are medics, you've been checked out by a registered nurse, as well as an emergency
medical technician, all of whom indicate that there is nothing physically wrong with you, nor any reason why you
couldn't continue here, sir. - [Narrator] Judge
Hoffman ended his antics with a 42 year sentence. Maybe he'll use that time in jail to brush up on his acting skills. Number nine, threatening the Judge. Most of the time in
court you want to prove that you're innocent, especially if you're
up for a murder charge. Let's just say, Juan Rodriguez clearly isn't the brightest
crayon in the box. During his arraignment for
attempted murder charges for stabbing a nurse's assistant, he threatens someone's life
in the courtroom, the jude. - Listen to me. You don't let me out of here
I'm gonna (bleep) kill you. Not a joke. I'm gonna take your (bleep) life if you don't let me out of here. Okay, I'm done. Now let's eat breakfast,
the brother's cooking. - [Narrator] He demanded
to be released from jail for Rosh Hashanah because
of his Jewish background. However, instead of being polite, he hurled insults at the
judge threatening to kill her. Needless to say, she definitely
did not side with him, and ruled that he be held without bond for a first degree
attempted murder charge. Number eight, two women fall to the floor. Having a life sentence read
out is definitely up there as one of the worst
moments in someone's life. But for Erica Mae Butts and
Shanita Latrice Cunningham, both convicted of killing
a three year old baby, their reaction was among the most bizarre. - You did get credit for any
of the time that you served-- (women screaming) - [Narrator] Butts' mother
also had to be physically thrown out of the room
because of her screaming. Who knew those court room
chairs could come so in handy? They're currently serving a life sentence. Justice was served. Number seven, Franklin
Williams won't shut up. Franklyn Williams, accused
of three armed robberies, definitely loves to talk. The Judge in the first
20 seconds of his trial urges him not to speak, and to let his lawyers speak for him. In fact, he decides to
interrupt the judge so much to plead his case that the
judge has no other options than to yell, zip it to Mr. Williams. But he still doesn't get the point across. - Your Honor, I just met
this attorney the other day. - [Judge] That's fine, so-- - He came and took my cell phone yesterday and they came and took all my
property out my cell today. - Mr. Williams! I'm the judge in the
matter, shut your mouth and I'll tell you when you can talk. You got it? At this point I'm going
to hear from your lawyers and that means zip it. - [Narrator] So in one of
the most bizarre cases ever, the Judge makes true on his
threat by taping his mouth shut. - It is what it is. - He definitely now
understands what it means to have the right to remain silent, earning himself 24 years in prison. Number six, grabbing a gun. Remaining calm during sentencing is one of the most important
aspects of being in court. In this case, Michael
Fisher is calmly waiting for his sentencing to be given out. The Judge reads that he
has been found guilty of first degree murder in the
killings of his wife and son. The sentence he received is
life in prison without parole. In that moment, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He punches Deputy Scott
Eby, and tries to remove an officer's handgun in hopes of escaping. (people shouting) While grabbing an officer's handgun may have seemed a good idea in the moment, he soon realized it wasn't and he should've sat
there like everyone else as he's tasered by officers. Michael's last words to the judge were, "I am going to come back
and get every last one "that did something to me." Good luck Michael, you're
never getting parole. Number five, thumbs up,
you're going to jail. Isabel Martinez isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill upstanding citizen. She's charged with six
counts of aggravated assault, and five counts of murder
for killing her husband and four kids by stabbing. Only one of her offspring survived. The reaction of the woman on the left to her charges says it all. - [Judge] 10 counts of murder, which of course also is a felony. You have no bond on the murder charges, only a superior court judge
can even consider bond on that. You are entitled to have a hearing to consider you for bond within 30 days. - [Narrator] The Judge asks
her if she has any job, which she replies no, and
then when he urges her to get an attorney,
she completely refuses. The strangest part is that
this woman seems super happy about the killings and even more excited that she has a life sentence. She gets on the ground,
bowing out of nowhere, confusing the entire court. It seems she loves having the attention and the cameras on her, smiling proudly touching her
outfit as if she's famous. She gives her sentence
a big two thumbs up. - [Woman] People that you're
in the courtroom with here, the people in the holding cell, the people in your pod, if you
speak to them about your case you create another witness for the state. - [Narrator] So far she's
escaped the death penalty and is awaiting trial for life in prison. The court is still waiting to deem if she's mentally stable
enough to have a trial. Do you think she's mentally stable? Number four, Penelope Soto. Penelope Soto is very
charming when she's in court. On a charge of drug possession, she goes on about how
much jewelry she owns and laughs whenever the Judge is talking. But the Judge reminds her that
this is a court, not a club,. - How much would you say
your jewelry's worth? (Penelope laughing)
It's not a joke. We are not in a club now. - [Narrator] And things take
a turn for the worst for her as she makes fun of the Judge's accent saying adios when she leaves. - Bye bye.
- Adios. - [Narrator] For this, the
Judge changes her charge from $5,000 to $10,000. She is livid, walking
away, flipping the bird and telling the Judge to (bleep) off. At this point, the Judge has had enough. He brings her back, finds her
in direct criminal contempt, and orders her to spend
30 days in the county jail for that outburst. This girl was obviously never
taught to respect authority. - Did you say (bleep) me?
- Actually I did. - Did you say that? - Yes sir I did.
- Oh you did say that? I find you in direct criminal contempt. 30 days in the county jail.
- Okay. - [Narrator] Sadly, in a later hearing, the judge dropped the $10,000 fine along with the 30 days in jail and sent her to drug court
instead because she apologized. - My behavior was very irrational, and I apologize not only
to the court and you, but to my family. Number three, Judge Qiana Lillard. Judge Qiana Lillard is in the middle of sentencing Amanda Kosal, for a DUI which resulted in the
death of a young man. Things seem to be going
completely smoothly until a man and a woman
can't stop laughing at the back of the courtroom gallery. The Judge reminds everyone
that this is a court of law, and is not a joke. There's a family grieving
the loss of a loved one, mourning over her tragically
being taking away, and these two people keep laughing. - I don't know who he is,
but whoever can sit here at a tragic moment like
this and laugh and smile when somebody has lost a family member. I mean the entire time that Mr.
Zirker's sister was speaking that clown, and that's what
I'm gonna call him, a clown, was sitting there smiling and laughing. And you can go too, because
if you don't know how to act, you can go to jail, so leave. - [Narrator] But it didn't stop there. On her way out, the woman
adds some backchat to the mix landing herself 93 days in jail. - [Judge] Anybody that can
sit there and laugh and smirk, with somebody, take her,
she's going in the back. She's goin' in the back. Anybody else wanna go? You can go too. - [Narrator] For speaking
out of turn in a courtroom she was charged for criminal contempt. Not only was Amanda sentenced
to three to 15 years in jail her friend was sentenced for 93 days, on a day when she wasn't
even the one on trial. Sadly, she only spent a night in jail, but it must have taught her a lesson, the courtroom is no place to joke around. Number two, Mr. Jones. Everyone has their own way
of reacting in a court room. Usually it results in standing in silence, crying, looking to your loved ones. But in Mr. Jones' instance,
it resulted in one of the most bizarre reactions in court ever. He was on trial for possession of a weapon used in a violent crime,
and of murdering a cop when this happened. - Are you currently employed?
- No. - [Woman] Do you want me to
screen you for an attorney? - No. - [Woman] Gonna hire your own? - I don't need one. - [Woman] Mr. Jones,
I've never advised anyone to go into court,
regardless of the charge, without an attorney. (man growling) Do you want to be
screened for an attorney? - Don't care (growling). - [Woman] Mr. Jones. - [Narrator] I don't know
if the biting and growling is an intimidation technique, but whatever makes you
feel better Mr. Jones. Look at the guard's face next to him. This is a state where
the death penalty exists, and everyone has their own
way of dealing with stress. While this was his preliminary hearing, Jones was sentenced to life
in prison without parole. Before we get to number one,
here's an honorable mention! In a Miami courtroom,
Lawrence Patrick Sullivan, a 29 year old man, was
convicted of carrying a concealed firearm. He showed up for his trial
with green hair, pale skin, tattoos on his face, looking
a lot like the Joker. He may have been confused
if it was Halloween or not. - You can represent me,but I'm
trying to get bonded out man. - They're there to help you,
sir, you don't have a lawyer. - It doesn't feel like, I didn't feel like signing the paperwork. I'm really not in the mood for that. - [Narrator] When he was arrested, officers patted Lawrence
down and found a .380 pistol in one of his pockets. He didn't have a permit because
the gun was too expensive. His bail was set at $5,000. That isn't too bad for a villain trying to escape the Batman,
hopefully he won't have to go to Arkham Asylum for a long time. Number one, Michael Marin. This man lived a life most would dream of. He was a millionaire,
having traveled the world, traded in complex investments, and led an all-round lavish life. That was, until he bought a
mansion he couldn't afford, and got into lots of debt. To escape his troubles, he
decided to burn the house down, but his home-insurance
provider got suspicious and investigated it. Turned out, he escaped the
file in a scuba tank and mask, and plotted the whole thing. Whilst being tried for
arson and for incident, it loomed on him that it could
lead to decades in prison. As the verdict was being read, he placed his hands over his
mouth, looking distraught, but secretly he slipped
a pill in his mouth. Soon, chaos ensued. Turns out he poisoned himself with cyanide as soon as the guilty verdict was read. What do you think was he
thinking in his final thoughts? Soon after, he went into convulsions and died on the courtroom floor, leaving his wife and four kids behind. This is very similar to Slobodan Praljak, a wartime commander of Bosnia,
who drank poison at the UN, due to his crimes against humanity. In both of these cases,
the men could not live with the thought of going to jail
for the rest of their lives. What do you think? Would you rather face a lifetime in prison or end it right then and there? Let me know in the comments down below. Hopefully you'll never
have to make that decision. Thanks for watching! (whimsical music)
