Hot-car murder trial: 3 reasons potential jurors were cut

BRUNSWICK — As jury selection resumes today in the Justin Ross Harris murder trial, some clues have emerged as to how the court will qualify — and disqualify — people in the large pool of Glynn County citizens summoned for jury duty.

» AJC’s Breakdown podcast tracks the trial

Half of the 12 prospective jurors questioned by lawyers Wednesday were dismissed by Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark. Here are three reasons:

1. They believe Harris is guilty

Three jurors — a self-described “retired housewife,” a high school English teacher from St. Simons and a mother of three from Brunswick — said they could not put aside their belief that Harris was guilty. Juror No. 4, who was dismissed for cause, said, “I don’t think there’s any excuse for leaving a child in a car. There’s no excuse for that. … That’s murder.”

2. “An odor of marijuana”

Cobb County prosecutor Chuck Boring successfully got Staley Clark to strike Juror No. 6 because he’d failed to disclose a 1989 felony conviction. That in and of itself disqualified him from being able to serve on the jury. Moreover, the man — a contractor and father of four — also showed up to court “with an odor of marijuana about him,” Boring said. On top of that, he fell asleep for at least 15 minutes in the jury box as others were being questioned. “Let him go find himself some sleep somewhere,” Staley Clark said, when dismissing Juror No. 6.

3. Challenged by the defense

In a sign that Staley Clark plans to be more open to defense challenges than she was during the initial round of jury selection in Cobb County, Juror No. 1 was struck for cause over the prosecution's objection.

Though the retired veteran said he would follow the judge's instructions to be unbiased, Juror No. 1 said he believed Harris was "not innocent" — an opinion solidified, he said, by the long list of charges against the former Home Depot web developer. (Harris also faces charges that he sent sexually explicit messages to underaged girls.)

Jury selection will continue throughout this week and next.

Read more about the latest jury selection developments in the case here.