ARIZONA NEWS

Legally Speaking: Grilling potential jurors makes for long day in court

Oct 7, 2014, 9:52 AM | Updated: 9:57 am

...

Day Three of jury selection in the State v. Jodi Arias case was one of the longest days the trial has seen, starting early at 9:40 a.m. and ending late at 5:45 p.m.

Some of the jurors who survived last week’s initial questioning were brought back into the courtroom in small groups ranging from five to seven.

After only a few questions from Judge Sherry Stephens about whether the jurors had seen any media coverage on the trial or if anything had changed in their circumstances from the week before, lead attorneys Juan Martinez and Kirk Nurmi started their questioning.

The majority of counsels’ questions centered on answers each juror gave in the lengthy jury questionnaire. The sealed questionnaire is at least 20 pages long with at least 56 questions all aimed at trying to get each juror’s thoughts and beliefs about, among other things, Arias, law enforcement, and the death penalty.

Both counsel were methodical and thorough in the questioning. For example, if a potential juror indicated someone in his or her family had been ever arrested, counsel dug deep into the facts and how the interaction made the juror feel now.

If a juror indicated strong feelings against the death penalty, defense lawyer Nurmi made sure he asked as many questions as possible to try to “rehabilitate” the potential juror to show that they could still be fair and impartial and follow the law, because, after all, the defense would want that person on the jury. Prosecutor Martinez would do the same for someone who supported, sometimes strongly, the death penalty.

As in all jury selections there were potential jurors who made you laugh, made your shake your head and made you think. As one juror walked into the courtroom he raised his head confidently and said, “Look at all these smiling faces!” This was in response to the audience of family members and media staring at him.

Later, this same juror indicated he had gone home and watched the Lifetime movie about Jodi Arias after the judge warned him not to last week. After being asked to step out into the hall and wait, he chose to leave.

Clearly he was not one to follow directions, even those coming from the court. Another juror seemed bound and determined to get on this jury. Every question she was asked was turned into a lengthy response trying to excuse away her answers.

I will let you in on a little secret: attorneys notice immediately those potential jurors who seem to be trying too hard.

In total, 41 jurors were questioned about their answers on the questionnaire and of those questioned, 16 were excused, leaving 25. Another juror who was not questioned was excused because of other issues. Considering there were 176 survivors from last week, there is still a ways to go. This process will continue Tuesday morning and should be just as interesting and thought-provoking as the previous day.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

(Maricopa County Sheriff's Office photos)...

KTAR.com

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office K9 named Kimbo dies from complications related to bloat

A K9 named Kimbo for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office died from an unexpected medical emergency on May 1.

5 hours ago

A suspect was arrested after allegedly ramming a car into a Glendale home before barricading himsel...

KTAR.com

Suspect accused of ramming car into Glendale home, barricading himself during domestic dispute

A suspect was arrested after allegedly ramming a car into a Glendale home before barricading himself inside the residence on Monday.

8 hours ago

A person wearing flashy rings and a watch fans out a big stack of cash bills....

Kevin Stone

3 Arizona lottery players combined to win $70,000 in Powerball, Mega Millions

Three Arizona players combined to win $70,000 over the weekend in the nation’s two major multistate lottery games.

9 hours ago

Man in critical condition after being shot in Phoenix on Sunday...

KTAR.com

Phoenix shooting after argument leaves man in critical condition

An unnamed man in his late 30s is in critical condition as of Monday after being shot in Phoenix on Sunday night, according to police.

10 hours ago

A Silver Alert for Santiago Patino Jimenez was canceled May 6, 2024, after he was located....

KTAR.com

Subject of Silver Alert back home in Phoenix after being located at hospital

The subject of a recent Silver Alert was back home in Phoenix on Monday after being located at a hospital, authorities said.

11 hours ago

ATV crash northeast of Phoenix left 1 man dead and another injured....

KTAR.com

1 dead, another injured after ATV crash northeast of Phoenix

A man is dead and another is injured after a crash involving an ATV northeast of Phoenix on Sunday, authorities said.

12 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Condor Airlines

Condor Airlines can get you smoothly from Phoenix to Frankfurt on new A330-900neo airplane

Adventure Awaits! And there's no better way to experience the vacation of your dreams than traveling with Condor Airlines.

...

DESERT INSTITUTE FOR SPINE CARE

Desert Institute for Spine Care is the place for weekend warriors to fix their back pain

Spring has sprung and nothing is better than March in Arizona. The temperatures are perfect and with the beautiful weather, Arizona has become a hotbed for hikers, runners, golfers, pickleball players and all types of weekend warriors.

...

COLLINS COMFORT MASTERS

Here are 5 things Arizona residents need to know about their HVAC system

It's warming back up in the Valley, which means it's time to think about your air conditioning system's preparedness for summer.

Legally Speaking: Grilling potential jurors makes for long day in court