Some relatives of homicide victims find solace in the conviction of their loved one’s killer. Others reach resolution when they have a body to bury. Karil Nelson has had neither in the tragic disappearance and presumed death of her daughter, Juliana Schubert. Yet she has set an interesting, intertwined example of patience, peace and pursuit.
Our legal system demands patience — cases don’t play out in real courtrooms like they do on TV. And the results don’t always work out in a way we think reflects true justice. Karil Nelson has waited more than 12 years for a jury to bring a conviction in her daughter’s death. During that time, Nelson has grieved the loss of her eldest child, the death of Snohomish County Sheriff’s Det. Rick Blake, who tirelessly worked the case, and most recently the death of her 18-year-old grandson, Nickolas Schubert.
Now she must wait for the retrial of David Schubert, Juliana’s husband, after the first one ended earlier this month with a deadlocked jury.
Many of us might ask, "How much more can one person take?" But Nelson’s resolve and sense of peace was evident this fall — before David Schubert’s first trial — when she said she could live with whatever the jury decided. "In my heart, I know I did the best I could for my daughter," she told a Herald reporter.
Nelson has done everything she can to honor her daughter and pursue legal justice. She brought a civil lawsuit against David Schubert, which resulted in the jury ruling that he was responsible for his wife’s death and helped pave the way for a criminal trial. She has refused to let this community forget about Juliana.
Snohomish County prosecutors and sheriff’s detectives deserve credit for continuing to pursue such a difficult and consuming case. David Schubert’s attorneys deserve credit, too, for their handling of a case unlike most others.
Twenty-six jurors from the two trials — one civil, the other criminal — believe David Schubert is responsible for Juliana’s death to one degree or another. But no matter what this next jury decides, Karil Nelson has shown us we can patiently pursue justice without our sense of peace being dependent upon its outcome. Given the tragedies our country has suffered recently, it’s a lesson we should all apply.
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