Opinion ID: 1518773
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Jurors Who Should Have Been Stricken:

Text: We next address the jurors that Appellant contends should have been stricken for cause who actually sat on the jury and rendered a verdict against Appellant. Juror H recalled seeing a television story about the case when the bodies were found. She recalled pictures of water tanks and fields and remembered that the victims were found in the tanks. Juror I responded to the questions about whether she could consider all of the penalties with, I believe I can. Trial counsel declined to question her further, and moved to strike her for cause. Juror J stated that his vision was impaired due to injuries received in an accident and stated that should he need assistance in seeing something, he would notify the court. Counsel moved that he be excluded from service due to disability. Juror K had seen television accounts of the case, including one where Appellant was shown in handcuffs and another that mentioned drug involvement. She also recalled publicity about a common grave. She stated that she could consider the full range of penalties depending on the evidence and that she would presume innocence unless proven guilty. The Commonwealth responds that, once again, Appellant fails to consider the voir dire as a whole. In addition to the statements recited above, Juror H stated that she remembered very little of the story she had seen on television, thought there were only two bodies, and that she could give Appellant a complete presumption of innocence. As to Juror I, the Commonwealth points out that Appellant asked no follow-up questions to clear up what he considered to be an answer that was a little bit equivocal. The trial court considered the answer to be expressed in a manner that he interpreted to mean, I can [consider the entire range of penalties]. The Commonwealth also states that while Juror J admitted to problems with his vision, he also stated that he was a self-employed bulldozer operator. The Commonwealth believes heavy equipment operation indicates that Juror J has sufficient vision to serve on a jury. Finally, as to Juror K, the Commonwealth set forth most of her responses to voir dire questioning. Therein, Juror K stated that she could presume Appellant's innocence, knew that handcuffs were routine, knew that the news media could and did make mistakes, and that she had formed no opinion as to Appellant's guilt or innocence in this case. In overruling Appellant's motion to strike for cause, the court stated that he believed the juror had gone overboard to give any information to the court that she might have had about the case, that she had formed no opinion and that she had strong feelings about the unreliability of news reports. As previously stated, the trial court has discretion in determining whether to excuse a juror for cause and that decision will not be reversed on appeal unless its action is clearly erroneous. Further, prospective jurors do not live in a vacuum and cannot be expected to be totally ignorant of any case they may be called upon to decide. Jones v. Commonwealth, Ky.App., 737 S.W.2d 466, 467 (1987). The fact that a prospective juror may have some knowledge of a case does not establish objective bias. Peters v. Commonwealth, Ky., 505 S.W.2d 764, 765 (1974); See also Mu'Min v. Virginia, 500 U.S. 415, 431-32, 111 S.Ct. 1899, 1908, 114 L.Ed.2d 493, 509-10 (1991). None of these four jurors had sufficient knowledge of this case to require disqualification or the granting of a motion for cause. Nor was there sufficient evidence that any of them would not be able to consider the entire range of potential penalties. Grooms, supra . There was no evidence that Juror J's vision impairment was of such a magnitude that he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities as a juror. See KRS 29A.080. The trial court's denial of Appellant's motion to strike these four jurors for cause was properly denied.