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Saturday, August 08, 2009
Ind. Courts - Marion County potential jurors face detailed inquiries
A search of the ILB for the term "juror questionnaire" turned up a number of interesting entries.
Today Jon Murray of the Indianapolis Star has this story. Some quotes:
Hundreds of potential jurors for Marion County's first death penalty trial in seven years faced questions Friday that probed their beliefs about capital punishment -- and burrowed into personal information that included household income, political affiliation and even favorite TV shows.Lawyers hope their responses on 24-page questionnaires will provide insight into the men and women who might be called upon in October to decide Desmond Turner's fate. Turner, 31, is charged with murder and robbery in the June 2006 slayings of four adults and three children on Hamilton Avenue. * * *
Introducing himself Friday, Marion Superior Court Judge Robert Altice provided few details of the crime, though the questionnaire listed the suspects and victims and noted the Near-Eastside location.
Among the 139 questions: "The evidence in this case will include graphic color photographs and a video of the seven victims (including the children) as they were found in their home after being shot multiple times. How difficult will it be for you to view the pictures and video?"
"You are not to educate yourself about this case," Altice said during the first of two sessions Friday in the City-County Building.
He ordered the potential jurors to ignore all media reports and avoid discussing the case with anyone or researching it online prior to the Oct. 5 trial. He also administered a mass oath to give truthful responses.
Some of the 406 who responded to the court's summons spent up to three hours filling out the surveys. The questionnaires will help lawyers narrow the group of prospective jurors.
Jury selection will continue the entire first week of the trial, when the lawyers will directly question smaller groups. For starters, they will have a good idea who is steadfast in their support of or opposition to the death penalty.
"It really can be of tremendous value to have this information," said Dennis Stolle, president of Indianapolis jury consulting firm ThemeVision LLC.
Questionnaires speed up the already painstaking jury selection process in a high-profile case, Stolle said. Also, jurors tend to answer sensitive questions more fully and accurately in a private survey than in open court.
The selected jurors and alternates will be sequestered in a hotel during the trial, which could last as long as three weeks.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on August 8, 2009 10:01 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts