The latest: Five more Cobb County citizens were qualified to serve on the jury in the Justin Ross Harris murder trial Monday, bringing the total to 31 after nine days of the selection process.
The charges: Ross Harris, accused of intentionally leaving his son Cooper inside a hot car to die, is charged with malice murder, two counts of felony murder, cruelty to children in the first and second degree, criminal attempt to commit a felony and dissemination of harmful materials to minors.
The tally: Thirty jurors are needed before prosecutors and defense attorneys can exercise their nine "peremptory" challenges afforded each side. But even though that threshold was passed Monday afternoon, jury selection continues. That's because Cobb County Superior Court Judge Mary Staley is requiring alternate jurors, though she has yet to say how many.
Breakdown: Season 2, AJC’s podcast of Harris trial
Quote of the day: "Never trust anyone with facial hair," said Juror 62, who has a thick beard, in response to a question from bearded defense attorney Maddox Kilgore regarding previous legal representation.
International flavor: Two of the jurors qualified Monday were born outside of the U.S.: a Ukrainian phlebotomist and a mechanic from Guyana. A Mexican native who works in quality control for a chemical company was qualified last week. And the aforementioned Juror 62, born in France, is a decent possibility to be qualified based on his insistence that he would be "objective and honest."
Surprising omission: Juror 51, a wheelchair-bound grandmother, said last week that while she initially believed Harris was guilty, she has since reconsidered after taking a closer look at the evidence. She also said she wanted to serve on the jury despite some health woes. Still, the defense agreed with the decision to strike her from the pool.
What's next: Jury selection continues Tuesday and, depending on the number of alternates needed, could be completed by week's end.
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