Diverse jurors enliven Day 8 of Ross Harris jury selection
An ex-NBA guard, the husband of a former prosecutor and a wheelchair-bound grandmother shared some unique takes Friday morning as jury selection continued in the hot car death case.
“I jumped to a conclusion initially,” said the grandmother, a retired preschool teacher and the first prospective juror to say she has reconsidered her initial assumption that Ross Harris, charged with intentionally leaving his son in his SUV to die, was guilty.
She said subsequent research has raised questions in her mind, telling Cobb County Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Jesse Evans she can now be “more objective” if picked to serve.
Six jurors were qualified Thursday afternoon, bringing the total to 26. A minimum of 30 are needed before prosecutors and defense attorneys exercise their nine “peremptory” challenges afforded to each side. Because Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley is expected to want a healthy pool of alternates, as many as 42 prospective jurors may have to be qualified.
The first citizen questioned Friday, Juror 49, is a likely bet to be included in that pool. The former NBA first-round draft pick, who played for three teams in the early 2000s, said he “really didn’t know anything about this case” and would have no problem being fair and impartial.
Juror 50, an East Cobb CFO married to a former Durham, N.C. assistant district attorney, is likely to be struck for cause by the defense. He told the court he “has a hard time believing evidence will be presented to me that will completely change my mind” that Harris is guilty.
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About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
