Opinion ID: 863607
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 33

Heading: whether the trial court erred in failing to grant edwards' challenges for cause?

Text: ś 108. In this allegation of error, Edwards asserts that the trial court erred in denying three specific challenges for cause. Edwards contends that these three venire members demonstrated their clear bias and inability to be impartial. Therefore, the trial judge committed reversible error when he refused to strike Brashier, Freeman and Pearson for cause. ś 109. The loss of a peremptory challenge, however, does not constitute a violation of the constitutional right to an impartial jury. So long as the jury that sits is impartial, the fact that the defendant had to use a peremptory challenge to achieve that result does not mean that the defendant was denied his constitutional rights. Ross v. Oklahoma, 487 U.S. 81, 88, 108 S.Ct. 2273, 101 L.Ed.2d 80 (1988). ś 110. In Mettetal v. State, 615 So.2d 600 (Miss.1993), this Court held: This Court has explained that a prerequisite to presentation of a claim of a denial of constitutional rights due to denial of a challenge for cause is a showing that the defendant had exhausted all of his peremptory challenges and that the incompetent juror was forced by the trial court's erroneous ruling to sit on the jury. Chisolm v. State, 529 So.2d 635, 639 (Miss.1988). Mettetal cannot make such a showing in the case at bar because he did in fact strike No. 58 peremptorily. The venireman in question did not in fact sit on the jury. Id. at 603 ( quoting Mettetal v. State, 602 So.2d 864, 869 (Miss.1992)). See also Davis v. State, 660 So.2d 1228, 1243 (Miss. 1995). ś 111. Likewise, in this case, Jurors Brashier and Freeman were peremptorily stricken and Edwards used only 9 of his 12 peremptory challenges. Further, Juror Pearson was never reached. Edwards does not argue, much less make a showing, that an incompetent juror was forced to sit on the jury. Thus, this assignment of error is without merit.