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Old April 8th, 2008 #1
randy
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Default Juror selection slow and difficult in racially-charged trial

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?s=8128245

Juror selection slow and difficult in racially-charged trial

Posted: April 7, 2008 10:29 AM


By HANA KIM
Good Morning Tennessee Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Prosecutors and defense attorneys are finding the process of selecting jurors in the first trial connected to a high-profile double murder is slow and difficult.

Jury selection began Monday morning in the trial of Eric Boyd, who is accused of being an accessory to the January 2007 kidnappings, rapes and murders of Channon Christian, a 21-year-old UT student, and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Christopher Newsom.

Prosecutors say Boyd hid one of the murder suspects, Lemaricus Davidson, following the murders.

In the first day of interviews, only a portion of the 80 or so potential jurors had been questioned.

During the interviews, potential jurors are asked if they've heard about the case. So far, all have said they had. Some admitted they would have a hard time remaining unbiased during the trial.

In an unusual step for juror interviews, each potential juror is asked if he or she is racially prejudiced, and if so, whether that would affect the perons' judgment in the case.

Defense attorney Phil Lomonaco took questioning a step further by asking specific jurors whether or not they were inclined to feel a defendant was guilty because he or she is black.

The majority of the citizens questioned said no to Lomonaco's question, except one man who admitted that he was partially prejudiced because he didn't believe in interracial marriages.
The process of selecting jurors is expected to take at least one more day because of the large juror pool. U.S. Federal Court Judge Tom Varlan decided to expand the juror pool because of the amount of publicity the murder case has received.

Judge Varlan said he will call more people to the jury pool if necessary.

Boyd's trial was scheduled to start in February, and Lomonaco tried last week to get another extension but failed.

Lomonaco also failed in a motion to dismiss charges, claiming the prosecution was racially selective. The attorney tried to show that the U.S Attorney's Office failed to prosecute a possible sixth suspect because she is white.

Boyd's attorney claimed Daphne Sutton played a similar role in the case as Boyd.

Lomonaco pointed out that Sutton, who is white, has an uncle who works for the Knoxville Police Department. The defendant is black.

Lomonaco said he will call Sutton is as a witness during the trial. He is also expected to claim that Boyd's constitutional rights have been violated.

The trials of the murder suspects, Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas and Vanessa Coleman, aren't expected to begin until next year.

Because all four are facing the death penalty, each trial could take months from start to finish.
 
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