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Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Jury selection halted until Thursday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With only six potential jurors qualified for service, jury selection in the Barton Corbin murder trial was halted abruptly Tuesday.
Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Michael Clark blamed the delay on “scheduling conflicts” and said jury selection will resume Thursday.
Corbin is charged with killing his wife, Jennifer Corbin, in 2004. She was found dead in their Buford home from a bullet to the head. He also faces trial later in the 1990 shooting death of his girlfriend, Dorothy “Dolly” Hearns. Corbin has said that he is innocent and that both women committed suicide.
The unexpected break in jury selection came about 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Attorneys were scheduled to question three potential jurors Tuesday afternoon. But the prosecution and defense held a closed-door meeting, then Clark announced the delay.
“The court has had some scheduling conflicts come up,” Clark told spectators in the courtroom. “So we will have to adjourn until Thursday.” Clark did not elaborate and was not available for comment.
Greg Lundy, Clark’s senior law clerk, said all parties agreed to the delay. He said “some matters” have come up that will affect proceedings in the case.
The break came as attorneys were racing to find a qualified jury. Jury selection started in earnest Monday. As of Tuesday morning, Clark had determined that six potential jurors were qualified to be on the jury panel that will decide Corbin’s fate.
Attorneys have until Sept. 25, the scheduled start of the trial, to get 42 qualified jurors needed to impanel the actual jury. Twelve jurors and four alternates will be selected for the trial.
During jury questioning, attorneys have removed potential jurors who have been exposed to media coverage about the case or who have an opinion about Corbin’s guilt or innocence.
After the court proceedings were halted Tuesday, Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter said he was confident he would be able to get a qualified jury pool by the judge’s deadline.
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