Opinion ID: 2433485
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Juror Fleece

Text: First, we note that Nicklasson tried to strike Ms. Fleece for cause, a motion the trial court overruled. Now, he assigns error to the trial court's decision to dismiss her as a juror because she began crying hysterically immediately after the list of jurors was read. The trial court called counsel to the bench to discuss dismissing her after she began crying. The court stated: Ms. Fleece is having a nervous breakdown in front of us.... No one else is being as emotional as she is. She's being incapable of considering, what I see here. Section 494.485, RSMo 1994, permits the trial court to replace jurors who become or are found to be unable or disqualified to perform their duties. Given Ms. Fleece's inappropriate emotional response to news of her jury service, we find no abuse of discretion by the trial court's decision that she was unable to perform her duties as a juror and in replacing her with an alternate.