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Timothy Jones Jr.- Case Archive
2019 Murder Trialtrial-daytrial-dayjury_selectionJury Selection Day 1 - April 29, 2019Jones entered not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity pleas as venire qualification began and the court issued jury-selection rulings.
2019 Murder TrialJury Selection Day 2 →

Jury Selection Day 1 - April 29, 2019

Insanity Plea, Venire Qualification, and Jury-Selection Rulings

Judge Eugene C. Griffith, Jr.
7Proceedings
6Pages
0Witnesses
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Jury Selection Day 1

Jones entered not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity pleas as venire qualification began and the court issued jury-selection rulings.

Full day summary

Timothy Ray Jones, Jr. entered pleas of not guilty by reason of insanity to five murder indictments. The court then began venire qualification, explained the State's burden of proof, screened prospective jurors for relationships and publicity exposure, and instructed them not to discuss or research the case before individual voir dire. In related jury-selection and procedural rulings, the court declined sanctions and a continuance sought over alleged gag-order violations, adopted procedures for voir dire challenges and strike order, and said preliminary voir dire instructions would address defenses and sentencing factors generally rather than explain the consequences of an NGRI verdict specifically.

1. Pre-Arraignment Motions and Trial Administration

Before the jury panel entered, the court ordered Timothy Ray Jones, Jr.'s arraignment and insanity plea to occur outside the panel.

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Procedural
Court Convenes
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Procedural
Pre-Arraignment Motions and Trial Administration
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The court ordered arraignment outside the jury panel, preserved the defense objection, and deferred further voir dire and alleged gag-order issues.

2. Arraignment of Timothy Ray Jones, Jr.

The court recorded Timothy Ray Jones, Jr.'s insanity plea and directed jury selection and qualification to another courtroom.

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Procedural
Arraignment of Timothy Ray Jones, Jr.
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Jones pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to five murder indictments before the court moved to jury selection.

Highlights

Arraignment of Timothy Ray Jones, Jr.procedural actionTimothy Ray Jones, Jr. entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity to the five murder indictments.

3. Venire Qualification and Panel Assignment

The court began qualifying prospective jurors after reading the five murder indictments and explaining the State's burden of proof.

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jury selection
Venire Qualification and Panel Assignment
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The court qualified the venire, identified prospective jurors who had encountered publicity, and assigned panels for individual voir dire.

Highlights

Venire Qualification and Panel Assignmentprocedural actionThe court read the five murder indictments, explained that they provided notice of the accusations, and told the venire that the State bore the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.Venire Qualification and Panel Assignmentjury eventThe court instructed prospective jurors not to discuss, research, or seek outside information about the case, then assigned them to smaller panels for individual voir dire.

4. Voir Dire and Trial-Procedure Motions

The court deferred a photograph-related motion and adopted the State's proposed death-penalty voir dire language.

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Procedural
Voir Dire and Trial-Procedure Motions
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The court deferred the photograph issue and adopted the State's proposed juror-type form for capital-punishment voir dire.

5. Gag-Order Violation, Sanctions, and Continuance Hearing

Defense counsel sought sanctions, a continuance, and a change of venue over online material involving Amber Jones; the court denied sanctions and a continuance while allowing juror questioning and possible use of inconsistent statements.

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Procedural
Gag-Order Violation, Sanctions, and Continuance Hearing
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The court denied requested sanctions and a continuance over Amber Jones's online comments, while allowing juror inquiry about publicity and potential use of inconsistent statements if she testified.

Highlights

Gag-Order Violation, Sanctions, and Continuance HearingrulingThe court declined to impose sanctions at that time and said prospective jurors could be questioned about whether they had seen the online material and whether it affected them.

6. Resumed Voir Dire and Trial-Procedure Motions

Before the jury entered, the court set voir dire and jury-selection procedures, addressed preliminary defense instructions, and declined the pending discovery-suppression and continuance requests on the record presented.

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Procedural
Resumed Voir Dire and Trial-Procedure Motions
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The court set voir dire and alternate-juror procedures, reaffirmed death-qualification rulings, and considered disputes over NGRI instructions and late discovery.

Highlights

Resumed Voir Dire and Trial-Procedure MotionsrulingAfter argument over proposed preliminary instructions, the court said it would use a general approach to defenses, aggravating factors, and mitigating factors rather than address the consequences of an NGRI verdict specifically during voir dire, while continuing to consider the issue.
2019 Murder TrialJury Selection Day 2 →