Opinion ID: 1770491
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Arbitrary and Capricious Strikes

Text: Mr. Isom next claims that the circuit judge conducted voir dire arbitrarily and capriciously in violation of Arkansas Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(1) by striking venire persons for cause who knew Mr. Isom and who expressed hesitancy or concerns about the death penalty, and (2) by not striking those prospective jurors who knew the Lawson family and who were prone to vote for the death penalty. At specific issue is the circuit judge's handling of prospective juror Billie Handley and prospective juror Sanders Bealer. In the case of Ms. Handley, the judge inquired how she would lean and she answered: Honestly, I think I'd lean towards Ms. Lawson. The judge then asked whether she could set aside what she read in the newspapers, and she answered that she believed she could and that she would be fair. No request was made by defense counsel to remove her for cause. Mr. Bealer, on the other hand, leaned toward Mr. Isom because he'd been associated with Mr. Isom for years. When asked by the judge whether he could be fair, he said: I think I would probably lean his way. The judge then excused him for cause. Defense counsel attempted to rehabilitate Mr. Bealer about whether he could fairly evaluate the evidence, but he said that his mind was basically already set and that even in the face of evidence he would still be thinking another way. The judge repeated its excusal for cause, and again, the defense counsel failed to object. This issue is disposed of due to the defense counsel's failure to object. Moreover, we fail to see how this scenario with Ms. Handley and Mr. Bealer qualifies under any Wicks exception to our contemporaneous-objection rule. See Wicks v. State, 270 Ark. 781, 606 S.W.2d 366 (1980). Certainly, it is not a matter essential to [the jury's] consideration of the death penalty. Wicks, 270 Ark. at 785, 606 S.W.2d at 369. The issue is not preserved for our review. See Howard v. State, supra .