Opinion ID: 2599941
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Jean A.

Text: Jean A. believed in the death penalty and doubted that life imprisonment without possibility of parole truly was carried out. But she did not lean strongly toward the death penalty and thought her ultimate decision would depend on the case and the circumstances. She considered herself an opinionated person and stated it would take a lot to sway her  the burden would be on the defense to convince her of extenuating circumstances. At the penalty stage, she could wait until she heard all the evidence before making a decision. She explained she would try to keep an open mind, although she would find it difficult to be fair to both sides because she has very strong feelings against violence and would find it difficult to be lenient. She did not believe that anyone who intentionally kills should be sentenced to death automatically because, she conceded, there might be extenuating circumstances. She thought she could keep an open mind and listen to whatever extenuating circumstances were presented at the penalty phase, including psychological testimony. Defense counsel challenged her for cause. The court found the challenge to present a close question because Jean A.'s answers fluctuated, but ultimately concluded the prospective juror would follow the court's instructions, and hence the court disallowed the challenge. In view of the prospective juror's conflicting responses, we defer to the trial court's conclusion that she could follow the law.