Court Opinion

ID: 9681210
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:46:06.920717+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:32.678744
License: Public Domain

John I. Purtle, Justice, dissenting. My disagreement with the majority concerns the selection of the jury. During the selection process the appellant’s attorney asked one juror the question, “What do I need to prove to you?” She answered, “Well, you will have to show me that, with the witnesses that you bring, that he’s innocent.” Neither this court nor any other court should approve the seating of a juror with that kind of attitude. She obviously should have been excused for cause. Logan was obliged to exercise his last peremptory challenge on another juror who had been on the original panel which had been called to try the appellant for his first offense. This juror was dismissed for cause at the first trial because she felt she could not be fair and impartial. However, a few weeks later, at the present trial, the court declared her to be a proper juror. It is worth noting that at least seven of the jury panel in the present case had been extensively questioned (and excused) in the previous Logan case. In fact, 15 members of this group had been included on the panel which tried him on an earlier charge. Half of the jurors seated on the panel in the present case had been called for duty in one of the earlier Logan trials. The appellant is serving several life sentences plus a few hundred years on prior convictions. Nothing would be lost if this court were to correct the procedure by ordering a retrial. Indeed, the bench and bar might greatly benefit from such a decision. While no trial can be perfect, we should strive to see that every trial is as error-free as possible. It seems to me that the ordinary person can look at the facts in this case and see that the appellant did not have a fair cross-section of unbiased jurors to judge his guilt or innocence. I would, therefore, reverse and remand.