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Sunday, December 16, 2007
Ind. Decisions - Challenge to jury "made up of four whites, four Hispanics and four blacks"
The oral argument held before the Supreme Court Thursday in the case of Darryl Jeter v. State (see ILB Dec. 10th intro here) was the subject of an AP story Saturday. Some quotes:
A Chicago man sentenced to life in prison without parole in the shooting death of a state trooper did not receive a fair trial because of racism, his attorney told the Indiana Supreme Court.Daryl Jeter is challenging his sentence, arguing that he was denied due process and a jury of his peers.
Defense attorney Jeffrey Schlesinger argued Thursday before the justices that a Lake County Criminal Court judge unfairly denied the defense's attempt to exclude two potential jurors. Peremptory jury challenges allow each side in a trial to remove potential jurors.
Deputy Attorney General Kelly Miklos said the judge refused to allow the removal of those jurors because he believed Schlesinger was needlessly excluding potential white jurors.
Jeter was convicted last year of killing Trooper Scott Patrick, who came to his aid about 4 a.m. Dec. 22, 2003, on Interstate 80/94 in Gary. Patrick was responding to a trucker's call about a vehicle in distress.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 16, 2007 12:30 PM
Posted to Ind. Sup.Ct. Decisions