Opinion ID: 2598865
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Venireperson Hodges

Text: Venireperson Hodges said that she works two jobs, one of which requires her to work from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. The prosecutor asked Hodges about her education level because Hodges failed to indicate that information on the questionnaire. Hodges said she had a bachelor's degree in business administration and she had previously served as a juror in a criminal trial which involved a nonhomicide shooting about 15 years ago. In giving a race-neutral reason for striking Hodges, the prosecutor said that Hodges was evasive about her prior jury experience and had a difficult time remembering or understanding the concept of what the case was about. On appeal, the defendant disputes that Hodges was evasive about her prior jury service. The State cites State v. Thomas, 28 Kan. App. 2d 655, 663, 20 P.3d 82 (2001) (racially neutral reason when prosecutor said potential juror gave prosecutor very funny, weird looks and she wasn't responding very well). Like the court in Thomas, this court does not have a way of determining Hodges' demeanor. See 28 Kan. App. 2d at 663. The State also points out the detail with which a white potential juror described his prior jury experience, recalling that the case in which he served as a juror was a robbery and murder and remembering that the prosecutor in the case was now the judge presiding over the defendant's trial. We conclude the trial court was correct in its determination that the State established a facially valid race-neutral reason for striking Hodges.