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Jury selection for the shooting deaths of Edna residents Samuel Roberts, 24, Tiffani Peacock, 18, and Celso Lopez, 38, in August 2005, started for a third time Monday.
A Victoria County jury sentenced Kersean Ramey to death in early 2007. In October, a two-month long jury selection started for the trial of LeJames Norman. But Judge Joseph Patrick Kelly assigned a new lawyer to defend the 22-year-old Edna man earlier this year.
So on July 28, the lengthy process of picking a death-penalty jury began again.
Prospective jurors started by filling out a 27-page questionnaire last week. The form started with simple biographical queries, and went on to ask what magazines prospective jurors read and what cars they drive.
The form includes a long section of statements about the death penalty that members of the jury pool could either agree or disagree with.
“The interesting thing is, there’s a reason for every question,” said Jackson County District Clerk Sharon Mathis. Mathis has worked on three other death penalty cases.
Kelly found more than 130 qualified jurors during the first day of jury selection. Lawyers will question each one individually, until they pick 14 jurors - 12 who will decide the verdict and two alternates.
Eight people were scheduled for interviews Monday, Mathis said. But it took five hours to question the first candidate – so only three interviews were conducted.
To an observer, the interviews might seem absurdly personal.
“Was it love at first sight, or did he have to grow on you?” Jackson County District Attorney Bobby Bell asked a candidate.
He later asked the woman which of her brothers she would describe as being most like a stereotypical redneck.
Both sides can agree to pass on a juror for a cause – for example if that person believes in the death penalty without exception – Victoria County District Clerk Cathy Stuart said. Kelly also gave each side 15 strikes. The attorneys can use those to reject a candidate for any reason, Stuart said.
No jurors had been selected by the mid-Tuesday. But six prospective jurors had been interviewed over the two days.