Opinion ID: 1855709
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Prospective juror Cuadra

Text: Cuadra was challenged after the defense challenged prospective juror Felps on the basis that she remembered details about the evidence to be presented, had discussed the case with fellow employees, some of whom knew the individuals who operated the restaurant where the crime took place, and had already formed an opinion about defendant's guilt. The prosecutor then responded that it seemed inconsistent that the defense would challenge Felps and not Cuadra, who remembered substantially more about the case than did most of the other prospective jurors. The court then granted the challenge of Felps, and the State moved to challenge Cuadra on the basis of his pretrial media exposure to the case. [6] The State and defense also accused each other of challenging Cuadra and Felps, respectively, based on the prospective jurors' feelings about the death penalty. Both challenges were granted, and each attorney objected to the granting of the other's challenge. The record shows that Cuadra, who lived two miles from the restaurant at the time of the crime, had frequently gone there prior to the murders. The record also shows that although Cuadra denied having an opinion as to the defendant's guilt, he did remember more details of the crime than did most other prospective jurors. Specifically, Cuadra remembered: [H]earing about how one of the victims pled for her life to be spared and then how she managed to reach the phone and dialed 911. I remember about the cook, how he got shot in the head and the bartender who survived.... I remember seeing some of the waitresses gather around the Calendar's restaurants, some of them weeping. That's what I remember seeing. This knowledge had made Cuadra feel sorry for her [Guzzardo] and her family, upset, depressed. When Cuadra learned the defendant was arrested, he was relieved that a suspect was in custody due to the proximity of his home to the crime scene. Cuadra had also watched a news broadcast about the case that was aired on the Sunday before voir dire began. This broadcast was the one that mentioned the rap music defense. Cuadra remembered hearing of this defense, and he knew its premise. Given both the extent of Cuadra's knowledge of the case and the proximity of his home to the scene of the crime, we cannot say that the trial court abused its vast discretion in granting the State's challenge for cause as to this prospective juror, as these factors might well have rendered Cuadra impartial. This assignment of error thus lacks merit as to prospective juror Cuadra.