Opinion ID: 1723757
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: trial counsel was ineffective for failing to obtain a ruling on his challenge against mary welch and, furthermore, for failing to excuse her peremptorily.

Text: ¶ 26. On direct appeal, Ricky Chase raised the following issue: The court's refusal to remove a juror for cause denied Ricky Chase a fair and impartial trial in violation of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and law of Mississippi. Mary Welch stated on voir dire that she had heard about the case on the news and had been robbed three times. She stated at one moment that anything might influence her feelings and that it might bother her to sit on the jury [i]f it was proved that's what they were doing at the time this happened. She then denied that this experience would hamper her ability to be objective and impartial. Trial counsel for Chase challenged Welch for cause. The circuit court made no explicit ruling but did not excuse her. Counsel for Chase then accepted Welch, using his last peremptory challenge on the next person in the venire, Karen L. Boone. The Court found that there was no error in Welch not being excused for cause because her answers were satisfactory, and because defense counsel still could have used a peremptory challenge on her. Chase, 645 So.2d at 845-46. ¶ 27. Chase now argues that his trial counsel was ineffective for failure to obtain a ruling on his challenge for cause, and for failure to preserve the error by using his last remaining peremptory challenge on her. This Court finds that Chase got his ruling; after he made his challenge for cause, Welch remained on the panel, therefore, the challenge was denied. As to the failure to then excuse Welch with a peremptory challenge, the State argues that trial counsel engaged in reasonable trial strategy by using the last peremptory challenge on the next person in the venire, Karen Boone. Considering that Boone's daughter may have been enrolled in a day care center where Elmer Hart's great niece worked; Boone's father was in the Highway Patrol; and Boone's uncle was a murder victim, this certainly could come under the parameters of trial strategy. This issue is without merit.