In a recent episode of the “Hang Out With Sean Hannity” podcast, former congressman and current Fox News host Trey Gowdy opened up about the personal cost of being a top‑notch prosecutor. Gowdy, who never lost a case during his tenure as a federal prosecutor, said the most effective prosecutors do more than present evidence—they make jurors truly feel what the victims and their families endure.
Connecting with a jury through empathy
“The best prosecutors are the ones that can make the jury feel what the parents feel,” Gowdy said. He explained that this emotional connection is essential for a jury to understand the gravity of a crime, but it also “wrecks you” because it forces the lawyer to relive the anguish repeatedly.
Personal experiences shape the approach
Gowdy credited his own family life for helping him develop that empathy. “Having children helps because you imagine, what if they were taken from you? Having a spouse helps,” he noted. He added that some people seem to be born with—or can acquire—an “empathetic gene” that allows them to convey pain without losing composure.
A haunting case from South Carolina
The former prosecutor recalled the 1994 Susan Smith case, in which a mother drowned her two young sons. Gowdy said he often saw the father, David Smith, at the grocery store where he shopped. He made a point of speaking with the grieving father about sports and never mentioning the case, yet the sorrow was unmistakable.
“If you want to see grief etched in someone’s face, it was etched in his,” Gowdy said. “To lose your two sons because your wife decided that she wanted to have a different boyfriend.” The memory of that encounter, Gowdy said, underscores why prosecutors must balance logic with passion during closing arguments.
The marriage of logic and passion
According to Gowdy, a successful closing argument is a “marriage of logic and passion.” The prosecutor must marshal evidence, stay composed, and then move the jury emotionally. “You’ve got to marshal the evidence, you’ve got to stay composed long enough to present it, and then this marriage of logic and passion is what closing argument is,” he explained.
Where to listen
The full conversation is available on iHeartRadio, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any platform that carries the “Hang Out With Sean Hannity” show.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
