When Sheriff Billy Rowles sat down to enjoy his plate, he was asked if he was going to take some to King, who was waiting two floors above for court to start. But they admit there are a few perks. Take the killer bread pudding from the county jail, where King is being held during the trial. Rowles brags that the chef in his jail used to be the head chef at one of the town's better restaurants. The jail is in the Aubrey E. Cole Law Enforcement Center, which also houses the sheriff's office.
Some lawyers use high-priced psychologists as experts to help pick ideal jurors.
Jasper County District Attorney Guy James Gray asked folks like Cole to volunteer to help him pick a jury. Cole's daughter, Novie Hammock, is Gray's administrative assistant and she said when she started noticing that a lot of prospective jurors were from the southern part of the long, thin county, she asked her dad to come and see if he knew any of them. He lives near Buna, in the southern end of the county. Lawyers have spent the past two weeks winnowing a group of 125 jurors into a panel of 50, including seven blacks. Testimony is to begin Feb. 16.