Mark Sievers trial: Final jury selected as case prepares for trial: Day 6

Day 6 of jury selection for Mark Sievers’ trial marks the end as the 12 jurors and two alternates have been selected to hear the case.

Attorneys asked a group of 37 potential jurors general questions to get a better understanding of their thoughts on the law and judicial system.

Former jury consultant Dr. Erica Baer said it’s just another step in finding the fairest and impartial jurors for this high stakes case.

“None of the jurors really said anything that stood out to me in terms of they can’t be fair,” said Baer. “So far I think that its really going to boil down to just the attorneys making a guess about who they think is best just based on their intuition.”

Three men and nine women were selected. Of the 12, nine of them are retired, which is not surprising with a long case like this. The trial is expected to take five weeks and it’s hard to find working people who can sit through it.

Mark Sievers back in court for day 6 of jury selection. Starting round three of questioning today, voire dire, which is meant to determine if jurors have any bias- like if they’ve been a victim of a crime. 38 potential jurors to get through today. @winknews #SieversTrial pic.twitter.com/h0PUAlwQPy

— Morgan Rynor (@Morgan_Rynor) November 19, 2019

Of those who are not retired, we have a pharmacy tech, an architect examiner and a case manager for handicapped people.

All of these jurors had to undergo personal questions to determine if they have any bias, like if they’ve been a victim of a crime before.

The court also made it very clear that the jurors would not be hearing from Mark Sievers himself and wanted to see if that would automatically sway jurors’ opinions.

The jurors will, however, hear from Curtis Wayne Wright who has already admitted to committing the murder.

In Jimmy Rodgers’ case, the defense said he was unreliable; he gave different statements leading up to the trial.

The jurors in that case had a hard time believing him.

While it seemed a lengthy process, it took the same amount of time to select a jury for Jimmy Rodgers’ case: six days.

The state asked for some time to go over evidence so opening statements will start at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

CONTINUING COVERAGE

• Mark Sievers trial: Jury selection proves difficult from the start: Day 1
• Mark Sievers trial: Jury selection: Day 2
• Mark Sievers trial: Jury selection: Day 3
• Mark Sievers trial: Jury selection continues: Day 4
• Mark Sievers trial: Long jury selection process continues: Day 5