Opinion ID: 2593661
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Follow-up Questions

Text: ¶ 33 Next, Mead argues the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to allow him to ask follow-up questions to the jury regarding prior knowledge of the case. In State v. Saunders, 1999 UT 59, 992 P.2d 951, we stated as follows: We now make emphatically clear that a juror's statement alone that he or she can decide a case fairly pursuant to the law given by the trial court is not a sufficient basis for qualifying a juror to sit when the prospective juror's answers provide evidence of possible bias and the trial court does not allow further questions designed to probe the extent and the depth of the bias. Preventing such further inquiry and concluding the issue by taking a juror's conclusory statement that he or she will not be affected by a particular attitude or will decide the case fairly is not sufficient. Id. at ¶ 36, 992 P.2d 951. As we have previously noted, press coverage may bias potential jurors. See State v. James, 819 P.2d 781, 798 (Utah 1991). Accordingly, the potential jurors' answers indicating they had prior knowledge of the case from media reports were evidence of possible bias. Saunders, 1999 UT 59, ¶ 36, 992 P.2d 951. The trial court acted outside its discretion [4] in refusing to allow Mead the opportunity to ask follow-up questions to the members of the jury panel who had prior knowledge of the case. ¶ 34 This does not end the inquiry, however. While the trial court's error hinged on its failure to address the jurors'  possible bias, id. (emphasis added), to demonstrate reversible error in a matter of jury impartiality, Mead must show he was actually prejudiced by the trial court's error. See id. at ¶¶ 52-55, 992 P.2d 951. Two of the jurors who convicted Mead had prior knowledge of the case. However, this only demonstrates the possibility of a biased jury, and the possibility of prejudice alone is insufficient. See id. We recognize the trial court's refusal to allow follow-up questions precludes Mead from demonstrating that those particular jurors were actually biased due to prior media exposure. Nevertheless, Mead had the burden of at least proffering evidence that media reports prior to trial could have unfavorably biased potential members of the jury, for instance, by presenting false or misleading media reports relating to Pamela Mead's death. Mead has failed to meet this burden. Accordingly, we conclude the trial court's failure to allow follow-up questions exceeded its permitted discretion, but did not amount to reversible error.