Opinion ID: 2082795
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Mistrial Motion Denied

Text: At the conclusion of the interview with juror Number Twelve, the trial judge had grave cause for concern. One reason for concern relate to juror Number Nine's disregard for the trial judge's instruction not to keep separate notes of the trial. A second reason for concern was one or more other jurors apparent disregard for a separate ongoing admonition not to read newspaper accounts of the proceedings because some of the juror information related to juror Number Twelve, concerning Flonnory's prior criminal justice system history, closely paralleled accounts that appeared in a local newspaper. Each of those matters merited an independent inquiry to evaluate their prejudicial impact on the ability of certain jurors individually and the entire jury panel collectively to proceed. [2] Nevertheless, the trial judge took no action. Those concerns paled, however, in comparison to juror Number Twelve's sworn testimony regarding the unknown woman's prior prejudicial contact with juror Number Six. First, the trial judge heard a sworn account from juror Number Twelve, which he found to be credible, that juror Number Six told all of the jurors that Flonnory had previously been accused of murdering someone else. Second, juror Number Twelve stated that highly prejudicial improper information from juror Number Six actually influenced her own decision to convict Flonnory of Murder in the First Degree. Despite this report of presumptive prejudice with regard to the entire Flonnory jury panel and actual prejudice with regard to juror Number Twelve, the trial judge declined to interview the other jurors. Flonnory's attorneys moved for a mistrial at the conclusion of the trial judge's interview with juror Number Twelve. In an oral ruling, the trial judge denied Flonnory's motion for a mistrial. The trial judge noted that a record of juror Number Twelve's testimony had been made for an appeal to this Court. In denying Flonnory's motion for a mistrial, the trial judge observed that from the justice system point of view, from a case management point of view, it would be better to go forward. The trial judge then proceeded to the penalty phase in this capital case. The trial judge permitted the jury to hear and decide the penalty phase of Flonnory's trial without any additional corrective, cautionary, or limiting instructions. In a motion for a new trial, Flonnory's attorneys renewed their allegation of juror prejudice. In denying that motion, the trial judge ruled that Flonnory's right to a fair trial had not been prejudiced either by the fact that juror Number Six told the other jurors that Flonnory had been accused of murder before or by the fact that juror Number Twelve testified that juror Number Six's information had actually affected her decision to find Flonnory guilty as charged of Murder in the First Degree. The trial judge then sentenced Flonnory to death by lethal injection.