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September 2006
Hearn family statement: ‘Nightmare that we will never escape’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Barton Corbin pleaded guilty Friday in the slaying of Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn in Augusta in 1990. Her family released this statement:
Dorothy Carlisle Hearn, our beloved Dolly, was taken from us over 16 years ago when she was a senior in dental school, one year shy of becoming Dr. Dolly Hearn. Since then we have been living two nightmares.
We now live without Dolly’s contagious smile, her positive outlook on life, and the joy that she brought to every room she entered. The pain of her loss is awakened each time we tell our children and grandchildren that Aunt Dolly was more than just a photo, we have thoughts of the dental practice that never was, and we think of all of the lives that remain untouched by her inspiring acts of kindness, her free-flowing words of encouragement, and the spontaneous manifestations of her unique sense of humor. This is the nightmare that we will never escape.
In our second nightmare, we’ve lived knowing that Dolly was the victim of a pointless, cowardly act of murder and believing that every path for justice was seemingly exhausted. We’ve felt helpless, hopeless, and robbed of any remedy to set the record straight and to see justice served. We have always known the truth. Today we rejoice that this truth has been publicly revealed and that Dolly’s name is now officially cleared. This nightmare is over.
We remain forever indebted to the Richmond County, Gwinnett County, and Troy, Alabama teams who made every possible effort to see these cases through to the happiest ending they could have. We thank our families, our friends, our communities, and those whom we’ve never met who have prayed for and supported us through these trying times.
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Corbin family: Glad dentist took responsibility
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Statement released by the family of Barton Corbin after he pleaded guilty Friday in two slayings. No one in his family was in attendance Friday.
“The Corbin family is saddened by today’s guilty plea by Bart but hope that the Barber and Hearn familes can now begin to heal. They are relieved that the truth has come out and that Bart took responsibility for his actions. They hope that Dalton and Dillon will grow up feeling love and will not suffer further.”
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Neighbor said he was not surprised by plea
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Neighbors of Barton and Jennifer Corbin today said they were relieved the case was over.
The Corbins lived in a Buford development. A neighbor who lives across from the home said he was not surprised Barton Corbin pleaded guilty today to killing his wife.
“I knew Bart well,” said Robert Holston. ” [The plea] just confirms what I thought all along. I thought he did it, though I hadn’t known of any trouble beforehand.”
“Bart was my friend. But Jennifer was my friend, too,” Holston said.
In the last few months the Bogan Gates neighborhood assocation built a park in Jennifer’s memory.
A granite marker in the small park, located between two homes, reads, “Dedicated in loving memory of our friend and neighbor Jennifer Barber Corbin.”
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DA describes killing of ‘Dolly’ Hearn
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Richmond County District Attorney Danny Craig detailed the murder of Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn in Augusta in 1990.
He described how Barton Corbin went to her apartment, took the license plate off of his car, and then went into her apartment and hid behind a bathroom door waiting for her. A co-worker came there and happened to see Corbin in the apartment through a crack in the bathroom door.
As Craig described how Corbin then shot Hearn and staged it to look as through she had committed suicide, Jennifer Corbin’s mother, Narda Barber, reached behind her and began to hold Hearn’s mother’s hand.
Hearn’s parents, Barbara and Carlton Hearn, looked straight ahead at Corbin’s back.
Corbin was wearing a dark suit. Asked if he agreed to the plea of malice murder of Jennifer Corbin, he said, “yes” with little audible emotion, looking straight at Gwinnet Superior Court Judge Michael C. Clark. He was flanked by his attorneys, Bruce Harvey and David Wolfe. On at least two occasions he was offered an opportunity to speak on his behalf and he declined.
After the plea and sentencing, the families reacted.
Jennifer Corbin’s youngest sister, Heather Tierney, said: “I just can’t believe it’s all over. I feel like an elephant just was lifted from my chest.”
Of Corbin, Tierney said, ” I don’t feel anything at all for him anymore. We did get a small bit of vengeance today. But we’re going to heal now.”
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Corbin ‘disgraced his profession’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Carlton Hearn, Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn’s brother, said: “Bart Corbin stole from me and he stole from my family and he stole from the world….”He said that his sister would have exemplified the traits of humanitarianism necessary to be a dentist.”
“Bart Corbin has disgraced his profession [dentistry] and has stolen from mankind.”
“16 years of silence, 16 years of pain.”
“My family is in complete agreement with the sentence.”
The sentence was two life terms, to be served concurrently with credit for time already served.
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Courtroom packed as jury selection resumes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jury selection resumed today in the Barton Corbin trial without any explanation of the abrupt day-and-a-half hiatus that a judge had ordered.
On Tuesday, Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Michael Clark halted jury selection in the murder case until today and blamed “scheduling conflicts.”
Attorneys met in a closed door session early this morning but then began questioning potential jurors.
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.
The courtroom was unusually packed this morning as family members and media filled the court benches.
For several days only the mothers of Jennifer and Bart Corbin had been in court. But today Jennifer’s father, mother, sisters, brother-in-law were there. On Bart Corbin’s side his mother, twin brother and sister-in-law were in attendance.
Corbin also faces trial later in the 1990 shooting death of his girlfriend, Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn. The Dacula dentist has said that he is innocent and that both women committed suicide.
Corbin was attentive during the questioning of jurors today, passing notes to his attorneys. And the for the first time during the jury selection process jury consultant Denise de La Rue was in the courtroom.
De La Rue has has worked on several high-profile cases, including those of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, child murderer Susan Smith and football star Ray Lewis.
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Jury selection resumes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jury selection resumed today in the Barton Corbin trial without any explanation of the abrupt day-and-a-half hiatus that a judge had ordered.
On Tuesday, Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Michael Clark halted jury selection in the murder case until today and blamed “scheduling conflicts.”
Attorneys met in a closed door session early this morning but then began questioning potential jurors.
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.
The courtroom was unusually packed this morning as family members and media filled the court benches.
For several days only the mothers of Jennifer and Bart Corbin had been in court. But today Jennifer’s father, mother, sisters, brother-in-law were there. On Bart Corbin’s side his mother, twin brother and sister-in-law were in attendance.
Corbin also faces trial later in the 1990 shooting death of his girlfriend, Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn. The Dacula dentist has said that he is innocent and that both women committed suicide.
Corbin was attentive during the questioning of jurors today, passing notes to his attorneys. And the for the first time during the jury selection process jury consultant Denise de La Rue was in the courtroom.
De La Rue has has worked on several high-profile cases, including those of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, child murderer Susan Smith and football star Ray Lewis.
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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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Defense: Media coverage taints jury pool
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lawyers for dentist Barton Corbin again asked a judge to move his upcoming trial out of Gwinnett. During jury selection this morning, defense attorney Bruce Harvey cited recent stories in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of the reasons he wants the trial to be moved.
Harvey and his co-counsel David Wolfe had filed a motion at the end of August requesting that the trial be moved, stating that “inflammatory” media coverage has tainted the Gwinnett County jury pool. Presiding judge Michael Clark has said that he will make a decision after attorneys question some of the 675 people who were summoned as potential jurors in the trial.
During the hearing this morning, Harvey read from the a story published in the AJC Sunday and said he wants to know how information in the story was “leaked.”
“Judge, I know you have told the jurors not to read any of the media about this case,” said Harvey as he shook the newspaper. “But you can’t miss this one. It is the Sunday paper, above the fold. There is a big picture of my client. There is also a picture of you, judge. You looked good.”
Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter has said that he believes the attorneys will be able to find an unbiased jury in the pool of 675.
By late afternoon, three of the 17 potential jurors being questioned today were immediately excused.
Two of them said they believed Barton Corbin was guiltly. One woman knew someone who was related to a former employee in Barton’s dental practice and she didn’t think favorably of Barton.
The process is moving slowly as attorneys question potential jurors. Only eight of the 17 had been questioned by 2 p.m. today.
Most of the potential jurors indicated that they had not seen much of the coverage about the case in the media.
Corbin, a former Dacula dentist, made national news when he was charged with killing his wife, Jennifer Corbin, at their Buford home in December 2004. He also was charged with the 1990 killing of his former girlfriend, Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn, in Augusta. The unsolved case in Augusta was reopened after Jennifer Corbin’s death.
Both deaths initially were believed to be suicides.
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Jury may be sequestered
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jurors in the murder trial of Dr. Barton Corbin may be sequestered, a judge told potential jurors on Friday.
Though he said he was leaning against it, Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Michael Clark told the 329 people during the second day of jury selection, that the final jury panel may spend up to four weeks sequestered.
Out of earshot of potential jurors Clark said any talk of not allowing jurors to go home at the end of each day “can make it hard to seat a jury.”
Friday was the last day of juror orientation in the Corbin trial before voir dire begins on Monday. Voir dire is the process where attorneys ask potential jurors questions in order to select the final 12 members and four alternates.
Corbin, who was in court Friday, is accused of shooting his wife Jennifer in the head in their Buford nearly two years ago. He also is accused of murdering his former girlfriend, Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn, in 1990. Hearn and Corbin were getting graduate degrees in dentistry from the Medical College of Georgia.
Defense attorney Bruce Harvey said he favored sequestering the jury, however, his co-counsel David Wolfe said they would wait through voir dire before deciding to push hard for it.
“It depends on their answers,” Wolfe said during a break in Friday’s hearing.
Earlier in the proceedings, Wolfe said he was very concerned about the amount of media attention the case was receiving and whether it was possible to find enough people who’d not yet formed opinions on the case.
Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter said keeping the jury sequestered would only make “everything harder, logistics, everything.
“So we’ll just have to wait and see,” Porter said.
Corbin was present for the hearing wearing a dark suit, blue shirt and striped tie. His mother Constance Corbin sat in the back of the courtroom along with his sister-in-law Edwina Tims and his twin brother Bradley. At least twice Corbin tried to muster a smile when he looked at his family. Tims said her family was “frustrated, but relieved this is finally getting its day in court.”
No one from Jennifer Corbin’s family or Dolly Hearn’s family was there.
Possible jurors were brought into the courtroom just after 10 a.m., and told to complete a 13-page questionnaire in another room. That questionnaire asked personal information, such as the number of children each person has, and specific questions about their knowlege of the case. After filling out the questionairre the jurors were brought back into the courtroom where the judge asked more detailed questions of those who indicated that serving on the jury would cause a hardship.
In all, Clark excused 31 people from duty on Friday including a Snellville police officer, two pregnant women, several full-time college students, a couple of people who no longer live in Gwinnett and some people who are full-time caregivers for children under 6 years old. Several of those who were not excused expressed concern about the possibility of being sequestered. Those who are selected should expect to spend up to six days a week working on the trial, the judge said. As of Thursday nearly 100 people had been excused from serving.
At least one man on Friday asked to be excused because he said Barton Corbin had been his mother’s dentist, though the man had never had Corbin perform any of his dental work. He was not immediately excused.
Those who remained were clustered into groups of 16 and given dates to return for the individual questioning of voir dire. That begins 9 a.m. Monday and is expected to last at least two weeks. Clark said at least 42 qualified people will be needed to seat a jury.
Potential jurors were told not to discuss the case or read news accounts.
Clark said the court looked into finding hotels that could accommodate a jury of 12 and four alternates. He said one hotel had agreed, but later backed out.
Those who missed Friday’s orientation will have to come for a make-up session on Sept. 20. Court will end at 2 p.m. Sept. 22 in observance of Rosh Hashanah. Court won’t be in session on Oct.2 in observance of Yom Kippur.
The trial is expected to run until the end of October.
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14 more potential Corbin jurors dismissed; sequestration possible
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jury selection continued this morning in the murder trial of Dacula dentist Barton Corbin as 14 more potential jurors were dismissed.
Presiding Judge Michael Clark is now telling potential jurors that they may be sequestered.
Dismissed were a Snellville police officer, four college students and one man who just moved from Gwinnett County to DeKalb County. Four primary care givers, people with children age six and under, have been excused, along with two more college students, a man moving to Virginia in two weeks and a woman who said English was her second language.
But a woman who was eight months and three weeks pregnant was not dismissed from being a potential juror.
Gwinnett court officials have summoned 675 Gwinnett residents for the upcoming murder trial. Corbin, a former dentist, is accused of the 2004 death of his wife Jennifer and the 1990 Augusta death of his then-college girlfriend Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn.
As of Thursday, presiding Clark had dismissed about 100 potential jurors who submitted legitimate excuses.
Court officials believe the trial could start on Sept. 25 and go on until late October.
Officials have not decided if the jury will be sequestered, which would require they live in a hotel for the duration of the trial to ensure that they do not follow media coverage.
One of Corbin’s attorneys, David Wolfe, today asked Clark about sequestering the jury.
“We had one hotel lined up but they backed out. Sequestration can make it hard to seat a jury,” Clark said.
Wolfe went on to say he wanted the jury sequestered because of “what we’ve seen in the media so far.”
The remaining potential jurors are scheduled to fill out a lengthy questionnaire today. Attorneys will begin questioning them Monday.
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Corbin judge excuses 12 more
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Michael Clark today excused another 12 potential jurors — seven men and five women — from participation in the Corbin murder trial. The 12 additional jurors excused from service were among 17 who were questioned today in a hearing to determine their eligibility.
Five of those 17 will be part of the jury pool that will receive questionnaires on Friday. More than 600 people received jury summonses in the trial. Potential jurors were told today that the trial is expected to start Sept. 25 and there could be two to three weeks of testimony.
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Corbin judge considers jury excuses
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Of the 100 potential jurors who asked to be excused from the Corbin murder trial, 17 people will participate this afternoon in a hearing to determine whether they have a legitimate reason not to serve. Jury summonses were sent to 675 people. About 100 people had excuses for not wanting to participate in the trial. Those with legitimate excuses, including three convicted felons, a dead man, and people over age 70 were automatically excused. A convicted felon can’t serve on a jury unless their rights to do so have been restored. In Georgia, people over age 70 have the option to be excused from jury duty.
Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Michael Clark also excused 10 people who could not serve because they were the primary care provider for a child age 6 or under.
Other reasons jurors gave for wanting to be excused included medical and work-related reasons.
Of the 100 people with excuses, the judge said 41 were questionable and 59 were accepted. Attorneys agreed to only question 17 of the 41 about their inability to serve.
Attorneys say this afternoon’s hearing for those 17 people could take about two hours. Barton Corbin is charged with murder. His wife was found dead in their Buford home from a bullet to the head on Dec. 4, 2004.
Corbin also is charged with murder in the 1990 shooting death of his girlfriend, Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn. The two were graduate students at the Medical College of Georgia.
Corbin says he is innocent in both cases. His attorneys contend both women committed suicide. Corbin’s mother, Constance “Connie” Corbin and a brother were at the court today.
The scene at the courtroom today was calm.
Those jurors who have no legal reason to be excused from service will be in court at 9:30 a.m. Friday. Several meeting rooms at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, including the Gwinnett county commission meeting room, have been reserved because of the large number of potential jurors expected.
On Friday, the potential jurors will be given the jury questionnaire, which has over 100 questions. They will fill that out in court and leave it for attorneys to review over the weekend.
Attorneys said they expect that some people won’t show up tomorrow and the Sheriff’s Department will go after those people. “They always do,” said Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter.
The first panel of jurors, about 12 to 14 people, will be brought in Monday to determine if they will be selected for a jury spot. Jury selection is expected to last two weeks. The trial is expected to run until late October.
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