Aaron Hernandez lawyers concerned about stealth jurors
Luiz Guzman and John Cusack in the movie "Runaway Jury" |
Within a month the jury selection will begin on Aaron Hernandez's case of murdering Odin Lloyd. With his attorneys preparing their defense they claim that one of their biggest concerns at the moment are stealth jurors. According to his lawyers:
In criminal prosecutions involving celebrities or prominent persons, one must contemplate the possibility that one or more members of the [jury pool] may harbor illicit intentions and try assiduously — even lie — to become a juror thinking that it will bring them fame or simply thrills,
One of the first steps in a trial is jury selection. Jurors will be asked questions by the judge to weed out potential jurors who may be biased toward the defendant for one reason or another. Hernandez's defense team has asked for additional “peremptory challenges,” a legal term for the number of jurors that a lawyer can strike from the pool without any specific reason or proof of potential bias. Given the amount of media attention this case has received his defense may be given more challenges.
Judge E. Susan Garsh, who will be overseeing the murder trial of Aaron Hernandez, has already ruled that there will be no New England Patriots paraphernalia allowed in the courtroom stating:
No person wearing clothing, or a button or other object attached to clothing, or carrying an object that displays any Patriots or other NFL team logo, football-related insignia, or words and/or photograph that relate in any way to this case will be permitted entry to the Fall River Justice Center during any phase of the trial,
Though the Hernandez defense team may now be concerned with the jury selection, down the line they are going to have to deal with the insurmountable evidence facing their client.
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