Day one of jury selection concludes in Coonrod case
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
Jury selection began Monday in Highland County Common Pleas Court in the capital murder trial of Wesley Coonrod.
Of the 400 jury notices sent out, just under 320 potential jurors are left after dozens were dismissed in the weeks leading up to the proceedings. Jurors 1-50 met Monday morning in the courtroom, and were then dismissed across the street to the Highland County Administration building where they must each complete a questionnaire that is 18 pages long with an estimated 99 questions. Jurors 51-100 met after the noon hour, and received the same introduction before being dismissed to the administration building.
With each group of jurors, Judge Rocky Coss began each session by the explaining the trial process to the potential jurors, who learned officially Monday what trial they would be hearing.
Coonrod, 42, of Greenfield, is facing two counts of aggravated murder, with specifications they are capital cases; one charge of aggravated arson, a felony of the second degree; two counts of murder, unclassified felonies; two counts of child endangering, felonies of the third degree. He was arrested following the March 7 fire on Lafayette Street in Greenfield that claimed the lives of his two sons, Thomas Coonrod, 4, and Stephen Coonrod, 3. He is being held at the Highland County Justice Center on a $1 million bond.
He is represented by attorneys William Mooney and Jerry McHenry of Columbus. The state is represented by Jim Grandey and the Highland County Prosecutor's Office.
Jury selection is scheduled to last until Thursday afternoon, when opening statements are scheduled to begin. The state is scheduled to begin calling witnesses and presenting evidence Oct. 4. If a jury is seated earlier, the attorneys have been instructed to be prepared to immediately proceed.
After the second group of jurors were dismissed to fill out the questionnaire, the first group was brought back to the courtroom, where the attorneys began the voir dire process, which included asking the potential jurors to explain their questionnaire answers further, and regarding their ability to put aside their opinions to make an impartial decision based on the law.
When addressing the potential jurors, Coss spoke about how serving on a jury is an essential part of the Bill of Rights, and a privilege "that our forefathers fought for in the Revolutionary War, and one of the freedoms men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq are fighting for toady."
; overflow-y: hidden;"> Coss explained the courtroom process and what the potential jurors could expect over the next few days, and ultimately what the jury could expect over the next three weeks through the trial phase, the deliberation phase, and potentially the mitigation phase and sentencing.
Since it is a capital case, by law the jurors must be sequestered during a capital case and never out of the presence of a deputy.
Coss questioned the potential jurors regarding if they had any court cases pending with the state of Ohio and if they had personal or professional relationships with any of the attorneys involved the case, or with the defendant. At least two jurors indicated they were distantly related to Coonrod, or were a one-time work colleague of the defendant.
When addressing the matter of the trial being a death penalty case, Coss said that the court realizes that some people feel very strongly against the death penalty in all circumstances, that some people feel strongly the death penalty should be a consequence if a person causes the death of another, and that some people fall somewhere in between. Coss said that in a way, the state of Ohio falls somewhere in between, and objection to the death penalty does not automatically disqualify a potential juror. Rather, it depends on a person's ability to "set aside one's own opinions and follow the order of the law."
Coss also spoke at length regarding the defendant's presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
The jury pool was reminded several times that they were not to discuss the case with anyone, including among themselves, and that they were not to read newspapers, visit websites, listen to the radio or watch television if they were reporting on the case.
After the jurors were dismissed to complete the questionnaires, Coss and attorneys for the state and defense met and reviewed completed questionnaires by jurors and several were dismissed for various reasons. Some of the reason included having staunchly expressed views against the death penalty or the defendant that it appeared they could not set aside, conflicts with work that could impact their livelihood, medical reasons, English comprehension issues, and one person who wrote that they did not trust men or attorneys. After completing the questionnaire, Coss said, one juror visited the emergency room regarding a chronic back issue. The potential juror presented the court with a prescription indicating that she should not report back for jury duty until she saw her family physician, and she was ultimately excused.
Jurors 51-100 area scheduled to report back for the voir dire process Tuesday morning, and jurors 101-150 will report to begin the questionnaire process.
Jury selection began Monday in Highland County Common Pleas Court in the capital murder trial of Wesley Coonrod.
Of the 400 jury notices sent out, just under 320 potential jurors are left after dozens were dismissed in the weeks leading up to the proceedings. Jurors 1-50 met Monday morning in the courtroom, and were then dismissed across the street to the Highland County Administration building where they must each complete a questionnaire that is 18 pages long with an estimated 99 questions. Jurors 51-100 met after the noon hour, and received the same introduction before being dismissed to the administration building.
With each group of jurors, Judge Rocky Coss began each session by the explaining the trial process to the potential jurors, who learned officially Monday what trial they would be hearing.
Coonrod, 42, of Greenfield, is facing two counts of aggravated murder, with specifications they are capital cases; one charge of aggravated arson, a felony of the second degree; two counts of murder, unclassified felonies; two counts of child endangering, felonies of the third degree. He was arrested following the March 7 fire on Lafayette Street in Greenfield that claimed the lives of his two sons, Thomas Coonrod, 4, and Stephen Coonrod, 3. He is being held at the Highland County Justice Center on a $1 million bond.
He is represented by attorneys William Mooney and Jerry McHenry of Columbus. The state is represented by Jim Grandey and the Highland County Prosecutor's Office.
Jury selection is scheduled to last until Thursday afternoon, when opening statements are scheduled to begin. The state is scheduled to begin calling witnesses and presenting evidence Oct. 4. If a jury is seated earlier, the attorneys have been instructed to be prepared to immediately proceed.
After the second group of jurors were dismissed to fill out the questionnaire, the first group was brought back to the courtroom, where the attorneys began the voir dire process, which included asking the potential jurors to explain their questionnaire answers further, and regarding their ability to put aside their opinions to make an impartial decision based on the law.
When addressing the potential jurors, Coss spoke about how serving on a jury is an essential part of the Bill of Rights, and a privilege "that our forefathers fought for in the Revolutionary War, and one of the freedoms men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq are fighting for today."
Coss explained the courtroom process and what the potential jurors could expect over the next few days, and ultimately what the jury could expect over the next three weeks through the trial phase, the deliberation phase, and potentially the mitigation phase and sentencing.
Since it is a capital case, by law the jurors must be sequestered during a capital case and never out of the presence of a deputy.
Coss questioned the potential jurors regarding if they had any court cases pending with the state of Ohio and if they had personal or professional relationships with any of the attorneys involved the case, or with the defendant. At least two jurors indicated they were distantly related to Coonrod, or were a one-time work colleague of the defendant.
When addressing the matter of the trial being a death penalty case, Coss said that the court realizes that some people feel very strongly against the death penalty in all circumstances, that some people feel strongly the death penalty should be a consequence if a person causes the death of another, and that some people fall somewhere in between. Coss said that in a way, the state of Ohio falls somewhere in between, and objection to the death penalty does not automatically disqualify a potential juror. Rather, it depends on a person's ability to "set aside one's own opinions and follow the order of the law."
Coss also spoke at length regarding the defendant's presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
The jury pool was reminded several times that they were not to discuss the case with anyone, including among themselves, and that they were not to read newspapers, visit websites, listen to the radio or watch television if they were reporting on the case.
After the jurors were dismissed to complete the questionnaires, Coss and attorneys for the state and defense met and reviewed completed questionnaires by jurors and several were dismissed for various reasons. Some of the reason included having staunchly expressed views against the death penalty or the defendant that it appeared they could not set aside, conflicts with work that could impact their livelihood, medical reasons, English comprehension issues, and one person who wrote that they did not trust men or attorneys. After completing the questionnaire, Coss said, one juror visited the emergency room regarding a chronic back issue. The potential juror presented the court with a prescription indicating that she should not report back for jury duty until she saw her family physician, and she was ultimately excused.
Jurors 51-100 area scheduled to report back for the voir dire process Tuesday morning, and jurors 101-150 will report to begin the questionnaire process.
[[In-content Ad]] Following Coonrod's arraignment in April, one of the court's first orders of business was to instate a gag order on all persons related to the case, from court employees and attorneys, to investigators and all potential witnesses. Little information has been released regarding the case, other than the initial fire and police statements from the March incident.
Coss said Monday that the trial could last three weeks, including jury selection, the trial portion and deliberations. The state has indicated it anticipates needing five days to present witnesses and evidence and the defense has said it will need two.