Hedgepeth murder trial: prospective juror dismissed after refusing to serve

A judge removed a prospective juror in the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial after the man said he would rather go to jail than sit on the jury.

Durham juror dismissed for refusing duty in Hedgepeth murder case

A prospective juror in the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial was removed from the jury pool in Durham, North Carolina, after telling the court he would rather serve jail time than participate in the case, abc11.com reports.

During questioning on Thursday, the man told Superior Court Judge Keith Gregory: "I don't have nothing to say about the case. It has nothing to do with me." Gregory dismissed him immediately, stating the comments raised grave concerns about the man's willingness to fulfil a civic obligation. The removed juror will receive no compensation for his time.

Gregory also took the opportunity to emphasise that jury service is a fundamental duty of citizenship — one he said he takes seriously.

The dismissal came as attorneys were questioning 12 prospective jurors Thursday morning. It followed Wednesday's session, in which seven prospective jurors had already been removed from the pool.

For a second consecutive day, defence attorneys asked Gregory to dismiss a prospective juror employed by Durham County. The judge denied the request, finding no indication the individual would be unable to remain fair and impartial.

Prosecutors had anticipated a lengthy selection process. Earlier in the week, the district attorney said she would not be surprised if seating a jury took the entire week. As of Thursday afternoon, jury selection was still ongoing, and prosecutors had not confirmed whether they expected a jury to be in place by Friday.

The trial concerns the murder of Faith Hedgepeth, a case that has drawn significant attention in the Durham area.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)