Opinion ID: 1253518
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Peremptory Strike of Prospective Juror Jones.

Text: The State explained that Jones was struck for her observed camaraderie with a fellow prospective juror who had previously served as a witness in an unrelated murder trial in which both prosecutors had participated. Additionally, the State indicated a concern that Jones would have difficulty understanding the scientific evidence in the case. On their face, these reasons are racially neutral and not implausible leading to the conclusion that [they were] pretextual. Thomas, supra at 161, 549 S.E.2d 359. Further, the explanations were race neutral because the reasons given were not based upon a characteristic or stereotype peculiar to any race. Turner, supra at 152, 476 S.E.2d 252.