Opinion ID: 1700705
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: The Failure to Excuse an Alternate Juror who was Making Comical Faces and Laughing During the Sentencing Hearing.

Text: During the sentencing phase, appellant filed a motion to excuse the alternate juror because other people had informed him that the juror was making comical faces and laughing. Appellant did not support the allegations of the motion with proof. The trial judge overruled the motion, stating that he had not noticed any such behavior on the part of the alternate juror and that the juror had been sequestered alone in a jury room when the jury retired to deliberate on its verdict. (First phase). The court's action is presumed to be correct in the absence of proof. Gordon v. State, 349 So.2d 554 (Miss. 1977).