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Timothy Jones Jr.- Case Archive
2019 Murder Trialtrial-daytrial-dayjury_selectionjury_instructionsJury Selection Day 10 - May 13, 2019Jury selection concluded with 18 jurors called and instructed, while the court resolved strike and venue challenges and addressed evidence and statement rulings.
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Jury Selection Day 10 - May 13, 2019

Jury Selection Concludes as Court Addresses Venue, Strike, and Evidence Issues

Judge Eugene C. Griffith, Jr.
20Proceedings
15Pages
0Witnesses
595Lines
1Sidebars
Jury Selection Day 10

Jury selection concluded with 18 jurors called and instructed, while the court resolved strike and venue challenges and addressed evidence and statement rulings.

Full day summary

The court completed jury selection after resolving renewed qualification challenges, a Batson challenge to the State's peremptory strikes, and renewed requests to change venue. Eighteen selected jurors were called, instructed not to discuss or research the case, and protected from outside contact. Outside the jury's presence, the court addressed the scope of proposed evidence and recorded-statement redactions, including limits on how the State could use an interrogation exchange referring to “murder.” The court also clarified prior statement and warrant rulings, and deferred a decision on the State's request for a competency hearing until review of Dr. Frierson's report.

1. Change-of-Venue Motion and Ruling

Defense counsel renewed the change-of-venue motion after voir dire. The court denied it, explaining that prospective jurors with formed opinions had been excused.

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Procedural
Change-of-Venue Motion and Ruling
10 lines

The court denied the defense's renewed change-of-venue motion after voir dire and noted that the issue was preserved.

2. Juror Qualification Challenges and Reconsideration

The parties disputed prospective-juror qualifications and concerns about Philip Turner's questionnaire. The court recalled three jurors for brief additional voir dire and took the broader defense objection under consideration.

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Procedural
Juror Qualification Challenges and Reconsideration
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The court considered challenges to three prospective jurors and proposed brief additional voir dire after marking related articles as Court's Exhibit 76.

Procedural
Pre-Jury-Selection Motion Calendar
20 lines

3. Juror Qualification Rulings

The court disqualified two prospective jurors, kept Ms. Jordan on the list, and directed the parties to complete paper strikes before further jury-selection motions.

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Procedural
Juror Qualification Rulings
4 lines

The court removed Mr. Alvira and Mr. Turner from the juror list, kept Ms. Jordan qualified, and directed the parties to proceed with strikes.

4. Peremptory Strikes and Jury Selection

The parties exercised peremptory strikes during jury selection, and the court denied a defense challenge for cause to Zachary Gantt while preserving the record.

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jury selection
Peremptory Strikes and Jury Selection
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The court denied a defense cause challenge, completed peremptory strikes, and assembled an 18-person panel for review.

5. Batson Challenge to Peremptory Strikes

Defense counsel challenged the State's peremptory strikes under Batson, and the court denied the motion to restrike the jury.

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Procedural
Batson Challenge to Peremptory Strikes
17 lines

The court denied the defense Batson challenge after finding the State's stated reasons for its peremptory strikes were not pretextual.

6. Media Instruction on Juror and Alternate Identification

Before the jury entered on Day 10, the court instructed the media not to identify or speculate about jurors and alternates.

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Procedural
Media Instruction on Juror and Alternate Identification
5 lines

The court instructed the media not to identify or speculate about jurors and alternates during trial.

7. Renewed Change-of-Venue Motion and Ruling

The court denied a renewed change-of-venue motion after jury selection and called for the jury.

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Procedural
Renewed Change-of-Venue Motion and Ruling
4 lines

The court denied the defense's renewed change-of-venue motion after counsel raised concerns about juror exposure to pretrial publicity.

8. Jury Empanelment

The clerk called 18 selected jurors and excused the remaining jury panel.

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jury selection
Jury Empanelment
3 lines

The court called the 18 selected jurors and excused the remaining panel.

9. Preliminary Instructions to the Selected Jury

The court instructed the selected jury on outside contact, independent research, legal directions, and note-taking, then swore in the SLED jury security team.

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Jury Instruction
Preliminary Instructions to the Selected Jury
16 lines

The court instructed the selected jury to avoid discussion and outside research, then swore in the security team assigned to protect the jurors.

sidebar
Juror Employment Disclosure
11 lines

The court disclosed that juror Tiffany Kent reported her boss's spouse works for the Public Defender's Office.

10. Evidence-Scope and Redaction Hearing

Before the jury entered on Day 10, the court addressed prior-acts evidence and redactions in recorded statements, including planned drug-use evidence tied to the insanity defense and a redaction of a reference to prior incarceration.

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Procedural
Evidence-Scope and Redaction Hearing
72 lines

The parties defined the guilt-phase scope of drug-use evidence and agreed on limits and redactions for DSS and prior-record references.

11. Verdict-Consequences Instruction Ruling

The court addressed a proposed instruction that jurors would decide guilt or innocence without being told possible verdict consequences. Defense counsel objected, and the court preserved the issue for renewal.

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Procedural
Verdict-Consequences Instruction Ruling
6 lines

The court announced a proposed instruction barring discussion of verdict consequences, and the defense preserved its objection and request for a statutory charge.

Procedural
Media Protocol for Recorded Testimony
26 lines

12. Recorded-Statement Redaction Rulings

Before the jury entered, the court resolved disputed redactions to Timothy Jones's recorded interrogation and limited the State's use of one exchange containing the word "murder".

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Procedural
Recorded-Statement Redaction Rulings
63 lines

The court largely denied requested interrogation redactions but restricted the State from using one "murder" exchange as statutory-definition proof.

13. Search-Warrant Challenges and Evidence Stipulations

The court addressed search-warrant challenges tied to the earlier ruling on the roadside safety checkpoint and initial stop, while the parties agreed not to challenge the house searches or use of items removed from the house.

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Procedural
Search-Warrant Challenges and Evidence Stipulations
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The court clarified the scope of preserved search-warrant challenges, confirmed an agreement on house-search evidence, and marked the parties' motions as Court's Exhibit 75.

Procedural
Witness Scheduling Coordination
8 lines

14. Defendant-Statement Admissibility Clarification and Non-Use Agreement

The court confirmed its prior defendant-statement rulings and the State agreed not to use a September 11, 2014 statement involving Officer Creech.

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Procedural
Defendant-Statement Admissibility Clarification and Non-Use Agreement
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The court confirmed prior statement-admissibility rulings were final, and the State agreed not to use a separate detention-center statement.

Procedural
Courtroom Conduct and Bench-Conference Protocol
9 lines

15. Competency-Hearing Request and Deferral

Before the jury entered, the court deferred a decision on the State's request for a competency hearing until the next morning.

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Procedural
Competency-Hearing Request and Deferral
8 lines

The court deferred a decision on the State's requested competency hearing until it reviewed Dr. Frierson's report.

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