Opinion ID: 2120964
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The challenged venire members

Text: Gay. The first such member was Gayle Gay, who was a 24-year-old telephone operator with 2½ years' tenure and was married to a Navy airman with six years' service. She had lived in the same neighborhood for more than six years, had no children, was well dressed, belonged to the Brethren faith, and did not attend church regularly. She had been the victim of a burglary for which no arrest had been made. With regard to the burglary, the following exchange occurred during her voir dire : Q. Is there anything about that that you feel would affect your ability to give both sides a fair trial? A. Yes. Q. Why? A. Is there any reason why I Q. The fact you have been burglarized, would that affect your ability to give both sides a fair trial? A. Oh, no. Franklin. The second such venire member was Kenneth Franklin, who was 21 years old, had lived at his current address for 20 years, was single and unemployed, and was living with his unemployed mother. He had once worked at a restaurant for nine months. Buckley. The third such venire member was Roger Buckley, who had never been married, was living with his parents, and was employed as a supervisor at a State medical center where he had worked for 5½ years. He had custody of his eight-year-old daughter, whose mother lived separately and was receiving public assistance. Before his current employment, he had worked for two years as a clerk. Buckley's brother was a drug abuse counselor and a former police officer. Buckley had once witnessed a burglary to his father's car, had testified in court, and was satisfied with the results of the case. He was a Baptist and did not attend church regularly. Bartlett. The fourth such venire member was Louise Bartlett, who was separated from her husband and had lived at her current address for 36 years. She had been employed for three years as a wrapper in a factory. Her husband had worked in a paint factory when they lived together. She had six adult children, who ranged in age from 19 to 36 years and included a single housewife, a single car-wash worker, a teacher in a public school, a married firefighter, a single city government office clerk, and a business administration student. The car of one of her sons had once been burglarized, for which no one had been arrested. When first asked whether she belonged to any clubs or organizations, she replied, The Defenders, but when later asked again, she replied, No. She was a Baptist and attended church regularly. The transcript suggests that her interrogator had some difficulty in hearing her responses to questions and that on one occasion she had to be asked a question twice before giving a responsive answer.