FRANKLYWNOW - Day 7: Jury Selection Continues in the Trial of Cal Harris
Day 7: Jury Selection Continues in the Trial of Cal Harris
Wednesday, February 4, 2015 3:56 PM EST
By Beth Rousseau.
Jury selection in the trial of Cal Harris will roll into an 8th day.
This is the third trial for Harris, who is charged with the alleged murder of his estranged wife Michele who disappeared in September 2001.
The court was looking for one alternate juror when it began its session this morning but despite selecting three alternates today, jury selection will continue tomorrow.
According to Judge George Bartlett the court has released 2 of the original 12 jurors that were selected and will re-question another 4 of the original 12 jurors tomorrow.
Today, 32 of the 50 people who reported for jury duty were released before lunch break for various reasons including hardship and exposure to media coverage of the trial.
The remaining 18 potential jurors were then questioned by the judge, defense and prosecution.
District Attorney Kirk Martin told potential jurors that sympathy has no place in the courtroom. He then asked the jury pool if they would be able to return a guilty verdict even though the prosecution will not be able to provide a body during this trial, as Michele's body has never been recovered.
Defense Attorney Bruce Barket informed potential jurors of the importance of using common sense to analyze and scrutinize the testimony and evidence in this case. Barket also reminded the jury pool that any form of bias should be left outside the courtroom.
The court says that the complete jury panel will consist of 12 jurors and 6 alternates. If they are able to finalize the jury panel tomorrow, opening arguments will begin on Thursday morning.