Day 2 of Jury Selection (Evening Update)
Day 2 of Jury Selection (Morning Update)
Legal Analysis: Opening Statements
February 8, 2012
Legal Analysis
Defense Attorney Scott Goodman visited the Newsplex Tuesday night to discuss the jury selection and opening statements for the George Huguely murder trial.
Goodman, who has no ties to the case, expects opening statements from Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Chapman to last an hour. He says Chapman will tell the jury things he is sure the Commonwealth can prove.
“He will explain to them that they are going to try six different charges and will ask them to focus on different things,” Goodman explained.
Goodman says information from the taped statement Huguely gave to investigators and emails recovered from a seized computer will be revealed during opening statements.
After more than 20 hours in court, a jury has been selected for the George Huguely murder trial.
At around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the prosecution and defense agreed on seven men and seven women to serve on the 14-person jury.
Two of the 14 jurors will be alternates, however that will not be revealed until it's time for the jury to deliberate on a verdict.
Opening statements will begin shortly, a process that is expected to take about two hours. The prosecution will start.
February 7, 2012
Evening Update
While the jury selection process was smoother and quicker Tuesday, it will not be completed in the two days allotted by Judge Edward Hogshire.
After the lunch break, the magic number of potential jurors was increased from 27 to 28 because one woman who made the first cut informed the court of travel plans scheduled for mid-trial that cannot be changed.
With 22 spots already filled in the first day-and-a-half of jury selection, the defense spent hours questioning dozens more people to fill the remaining six spots. The 28th and final potential juror was selected around 6:30 p.m.
Everyone was sent home for the night and instructed to not talk to the media. The group of 28 that made the first cut will be back in court at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning to be whittled down to a final group of 15 (12 jurors and three alternates).
Once the jury selection process is complete, opening statements will begin.
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Morning Update
The George Huguely murder trial has resumed in Charlottesville Circuit Court with day two of jury selection.
Forty-one potential jurors were scheduled to appear Tuesday morning, but six were absent. Of the 35 who did appear, the process began with a group of 15 called in for group questioning.
Nine of the 15 were asked to stay for further individual questioning, however they were all eventually dismissed for various reasons. A tenth person was sent home for an unspecified medical condition. Later, two more were dismissed.
That means only three people from the first group of 15 potential jurors were kept. They will be questioned further Tuesday afternoon.
The goal of the jury selection process is to narrow the jury pool down to 27 people. At that point, the prosecution and defense will each get six cuts, which will result in a 15-person jury (12 jurors and 3 alternates).
Of the 40 potential jurors called Monday, 19 were asked to return at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon for further questioning. Add the three that were kept Tuesday morning, and 22 of those 27 spots have been filled.
February 6, 2012
Evening Update
After eleven hours in court, 19 potential jurors were asked to return to court on Tuesday for further questioning of their impartiality. Nineteen people were dismissed.
A bewildered George Huguely sat and listened as some of the potential jurors recalled what they had heard about the night he is on trial for, including one who said, "I thought he probably killed her."
Of the 40 potential jurors, all of them had heard about the case in some way. Some had limited information, but one man was dismissed quickly when he admitted he believes Huguely is guilty.
The trial will reconvene Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. with another day of jury selection.
Afternoon Update
After a break for lunch, jury selection in the George Huguely murder trial resumed Monday afternoon in Charlottesville Circuit Court.
Implementing the prosecution's suggestion to speed up the interview process, potential jurors were interviewed in groups instead of individually. Questions asked by the defense team included whether potential jurors have concerns or reservations about domestic violence or college drinking. Potential jurors were also asked if seeing graphic or disturbing pictures of Yeardley Love would make them partial.
Defense attorneys asked the potential jurors if they would be bothered by a scenario where "intoxication is a defense to first degree murder", indicating they may argue Huguely was drunk when he allegedly attacked Love.
Here's a breakdown of the jury selection numbers:
- 45 potential jurors were scheduled to appear Monday, but five were absent.
- Of the 40 that did appear, 27 had been called and interviewed as of 5 p.m. The remaining 13 will be called Monday night.
- Of the 27 that had been called as of 5 p.m., 13 were kept and 14 were sent home. Potential jurors who were kept will appear in court again on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
Morning Update
After nearly two years of legal filings and court hearings, the trial of George Huguely, the University of Virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, Yeardley Love, began Monday morning.
Huguely appeared in a Charlottesville courtroom for the first time since being charged with murdering Love, a former lacrosse player herself, in May 2010. The 24-year-old from Chevy Chase, Md., looking more frail than his former athletic self, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and five other felony charges.
Judge Edward Hogshire then proceeded with jury selection. Defense lawyers interviewed potential jurors one-by-one throughout the morning. They asked about relationships or connections to Love, Huguely or their extended families, as well as any witnesses to be called during the trial. Potential jurors were also asked about their prior knowledge of the case, if they had any interest in the case and if they could have an open mind about the case.
Only five potential jurors were interviewed in the first 90 minutes of jury selection. The prosecution argued the process is taking too long and suggested ways to speed it up.
As of 12:30 p.m., only three potential jurors had been held for consideration for the jury. The rest were struck from the jury pool, some for having ties to UVa. and others for admitting they had already formed an opinion from media coverage. One woman was dismissed after explaining her sister-in-law had been murdered by her boyfriend.
The families of both Huguely and Love are in the courtroom. Lexie Love, who along with her mother, Sharon Love, will be one of the first people to testify, began to sob when her sister's accused killer walked into the room. The defendant's father, George Huguely Sr., was also in attendance. He has been added to a list of potential witnesses for the defense.
Police said Huguely told investigators he kicked in Love's bedroom door and then shook her, causing her head to hit a wall several times. Huguely's attorneys contend the 22-year-old Love of Cockeysville, Md., died accidentally from an irregular heartbeat partly caused by taking prescription Adderall and drinking alcohol.
