Pace slows as Ross Harris jury selection enters second week
Everyone has an estimate, but no one really knows for certain how long jury selection will last in the hot car death trial.
The reason: Cobb County Superior Court Judge Mary Staley hasn’t specified how many alternates will be needed. Twelve citizens will sit on the jury. So far 21 Cobb County residents have been qualified, and with each side getting nine challenges, a jury pool of 30 people is necessary.
Roughly 250 citizens were summoned for possible service in the trial of Ross Harris, accused of intentionally leaving his son inside a hot car to die. Harris pleaded not guilty to charges including malice murder and felony murder.
For each alternate juror, the defense and prosecution, as a general rule, receives an additional three challenges. So that’s six jurors for every two alternates.
In the morning session, two prospective jurors — a fundraiser for the Atlanta mission and a lieutenant with the U.S. Air Force Reserve — seemed good bets to qualify.
Another round of strikes is expected Thursday afternoon.
Return for updates.
For continuous updates on the Ross Harris case follow @ReporterJCB and @ajccourts on Twitter.
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.
