Opinion ID: 1262799
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Individual Voir Dire of the Panel

Text: Beavers moved the trial court to question prospective jurors individually, out of the presence of all others, on voir dire. The trial court denied the motion, but conducted the voir dire in panels of five prospective jurors. The method of conducting voir dire is within the trial court's discretion. Fisher v. Commonwealth, 236 Va. 403, 410, 374 S.E.2d 46, 50 (1988), cert. denied, 490 U.S. 1028, 109 S.Ct. 1766, 104 L.Ed.2d 201 (1989). The purpose of the selection procedure is to select a fair and impartial jury. Turner v. Commonwealth, 221 Va. 513, 522, 273 S.E.2d 36, 41 (1980), cert. denied, 451 U.S. 1011, 101 S.Ct. 2347, 68 L.Ed.2d 863 (1981). Beavers complains that conducting the voir dire in panels of five veniremen gave potential jurors an opportunity to avoid jury service by expressing an objection to the death penalty or an unwillingness to follow the court's instruction on the imposition of the death penalty. He does not, however, contend that this process resulted in a jury panel which lacked impartiality or that he was prejudiced by this jury selection process. Fisher, 236 Va. at 410-11, 374 S.E.2d at 50. Accordingly, we find no abuse of the trial court's discretion in refusing to conduct individual questioning on voir dire. Beavers also argues that he was denied an opportunity to question the jurors directly, in violation of Code  8.01-358. This contention is without merit. At a pretrial proceeding in which motions concerning jury selection were considered, the trial court specifically agreed that Beavers had the right to question jurors directly. The trial court also stated that it would require both Beavers and the Commonwealth to submit their questions in writing prior to trial. At the hearing, Beavers's counsel agreed to this presubmission requirement and did not object to the March 30, 1992 order embodying the court's ruling. Furthermore, during voir dire, the court asked Beavers's counsel if they had any questions of the jury panels, and Beavers's counsel did question some jurors individually. Accordingly, we find no merit in Beavers's contention that he was deprived of the ability to examine potential jurors as provided by Code  8.01-358.