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On Day 3 of Couey trial, jury selection drags on

Few people haven't heard of his confession to killing Jessica Lunsford, the court is finding.

By JOHN FRANK
Published July 13, 2006

TAVARES - A potential juror made the mistake of reading the newspaper before reporting for jury duty Wednesday in the trial of John Couey.

But she wasn't reading about the convicted sex offender's inadmissible confession that he kidnapped, raped and murdered Jessica Lunsford last year.

"My horoscope ... wasn't good today," said the woman, a theme park employee.

She recalled some details about the 9-year-old Homosassa girl's disappearance and had concerns about being a juror in this deeply emotional case, but it wasn't enough to excuse her from the jury duty she loathed.

She was the exception. Detailed knowledge of the case sent home 41 of the 60 prospective jurors queried Wednesday. It's not coming just from recent news reports, either.

Jury candidates told attorneys that other potential jurors told them about the case while they waited to be called.

"What I have learned I've learned here at the courthouse," said one woman, a retiree. "I was told there was a crime committed that was horrendous."

One Lake County woman said she heard about the murder while shopping on vacation in Boston.

Only three people knew nothing about the case, which drew national headlines when Jessica was killed in February 2005.

Those three almost automatically advanced to a second round of questioning planned for today.

The fast ticket home for the rest was knowledge of the confession, which Circuit Judge Ric Howard recently threw out because detectives didn't honor Couey's request for an attorney as he was questioned shortly after his arrest.

More than half of the prospective jurors called on Day 3 of jury selection knew Couey had admitted guilt. He has since pleaded not guilty. The state is seeking the death penalty.

Detective Gary Atchison, one of the two Citrus County investigators who interrogated Couey, sat watching the proceedings. He was joined by Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy, who has vigorously defended his office and was making his first appearance in court.

Couey's defense team tried to push again for a change of venue, saying moving two counties away to find a jury wasn't far enough. It was rejected by Howard for the second day in a row.

Still, the quest to find an impartial jury continues to delay the trial.

The judge anticipates opening statements to start Monday - three days later than originally planned.

And he indicated that the entire trial could last up to a month, because of scheduling issues with key witnesses needed for the trial's expected penalty phase.

Attorneys today will begin to pull their 12-member panel and four alternates from the pool of 58 potential jurors who got to a second round.

The questions in this stage will focus more on personal convictions and thoughts on the death penalty.

An additional day of questioning will likely be needed Friday.

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or 352 860-7312.

[Last modified July 13, 2006, 08:03:19]