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Judge's questioning of Couey jury continues

By JOHN FRANK
Published February 17, 2007

MIAMI - Jury selection for the man accused of killing Jessica Lunsford ended for the week after an abbreviated session Friday.

The judge and lawyers did not question any new potential jurors. Instead, the judge individually questioned the 37 people selected during three days of pre-qualification earlier in the week.

Circuit Judge Ric Howard wanted to know whether they had been exposed to any media coverage of the case since they last appeared in court.

None of the jury candidates had heard about the case, which is a complete turnaround from the previous attempt at seating a jury for John Couey in Lake County.

It was at that point in July that the judge declared a mistrial after too many prospective jurors returned knowing too much about the case. The proceedings were soon moved to Miami.

Of the 37 people questioned Friday, four were dismissed when they presented hardship issues that arose in recent days.

The 33 remaining prospective jurors will move to the second round of questioning scheduled for later this month.

The grueling process of questioning potential jurors continues Tuesday morning after the Washington's Birthday holiday.

The judge wants to pick a jury from a pool of 75 to 100 candidates. He hopes to seat a panel about March 1.

[Last modified February 16, 2007, 23:57:11]