Just before breaking for lunch on Day 7 of jury selection in the Casey Anthony murder trial, Judge Belvin Perry informed the defense and prosecution that today’s proceedings would conclude around 5:00 pm, and potential jurors that have been picked up to that time would be brought back and sworn in on Tuesday morning.
Perry said last week, that he would start swearing in jurors when 15 potential jurors had been agreed. He reminded both sides that they could strike jurors up to the time until they are sworn in, replacing with alternates and until both prosecution and defense teams had used up their peremptory strikes. Each side is allowed 10 peremptory strikes each.
On Monday morning, the defense used up one more of its peremptory challenges to strike a potential juror # 1268, a nurse, after Perry denied a motion by the defense to have her excused.
Jose Baez, one of Casey’s defense attorneys pointed out that juror 1268 had issues with presuming his client innocent, noting that, when asked the question she responded by saying, ‘she didn’t know the answer to Ms. Anthony’s innocence.’ He was also concerned that she initially said she would not consider the “age” of the defendant at the time of the alleged crime, if the case did get to the death penalty phase.
Juror # 1025, a male chef, also questioned on Monday morning by the defense and prosecution, said he didn’t know much about the case, only that a child was missing, had turned up dead and the child’s mother had been accused of murdering her. He also told the court that he mostly watches sports, sitcoms and didn’t watch a lot of news. He was called to jury duty 10 years ago in Collier County, but was never picked, he told the court.
A father of two children, ages 6 years and 21 months, juror # 1025 said, he has seen demonstrations of police dogs and how they behave while responding to calls, including retrieving objects. Neither the prosecution nor the defense moved to strike this potential witness and he is expected to return tomorrow, on Day 8 of jury selection.
Next up was a female juror # 1007, a 41-year-old divorcee, who said she didn’t have children and whose mother is a lawyer. She told the court she thought the Casey Anthony case had already been heard when asked if she had watched any of the televised shows. While a reader of the St. Pete Times and Tampa Tribune, the potential juror said, she didn’t recall any particular articles. When questioned about her philosophy regarding the death penalty, juror # 1007 said she did have a concern.
“The only concern I had for years had to do with it being racially skewed one way,” said juror # 1007.
At the end of the inquiry, Baez moved a motion to strike juror # 1007 for cause, based on her responses to “coverage of the case.” But Perry denied the motion saying, the potential juror had said, she didn’t have an opinion as she didn’t know enough about the case to have one. Perry also pointed out that in this instance, she had no equivocation about being impartial, when questioned.
Perry denied the defense’s challenge for cause, of juror # 1007, but the defense did not utilize a peremptory strike.
Juror # 1007, will be returning.
So far, fourteen potential jurors have been picked from Pinellas County, including four on Saturday.
Casey Anthony is charged with murdering her two-year-old daughter, Caylee. She had initially claimed her daughter was kidnapped by a baby sitter, but that “story” was later debunked by her defense attorneys.
Court watchers believe that, based on questions posed to potential jurors by the Anthony defense team, it is almost certain that factors such as sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse will loom large as part of the Casey defense strategy. How these dots will be connected to Caylee’s murder, is anyone’s guess.
Opening arguments, initially scheduled for May 17, in the Orange County Court in Orlando, are likely to get underway on Thursday, given the slow pace at which jury selection has proceeded in Pinellas County.
