Jury selected in Coonrod trial; will visit crime scene Thursday WATCH THE VIDEO

With his life or death potentially in their hands, Wesley Coonrod, for the first time Wednesday, looked upon the jury of his peers who will determine whether or not he is guilty of setting the fire that killed his children. 

A jury of 12, along with six alternates, has been seated and sworn in to hear Coonrod's capital murder trial. In addition to deciding if the Greenfield man is guilty or not guilty in the alleged aggravated murders of his two sons, the jury could decide if Coonrod will spend the rest of his life in prison or be put to death. 

In the third day of jury selections in Highland County Common Pleas Court, the final 18 jurors were selected just after 2 p.m. - nearly a day earlier than anticipated by the court. 

On Thursday morning, under the supervision of the Highland County Sheriff's Office and the court bailiff, the jury will visit the crime scene at 150 Lafayette Street in Greenfield - the location where 4-year-old Thomas and 3-year old Stephen died in a fire in the early morning hours of March 7.

Coonrod, 42, was indicted by a grand jury in April on 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; and two counts of child endangering, felonies of the third degree.

After the state, represented by Jim Grandey and David Henry of the Highland County Prosecutor's Office, questioned potential jurors for several hours Wednesday morning, the court recessed for lunch. When court was brought back into session, the potential jurors were questioned by defense attorney Jerry McHenry for approximately half an hour. 

McHenry posed questions to the group in general and directed questions toward specific potential jurors. He asked them if they could remain impartial and not allow their feelings to take over when hearing a case that involved the deaths of two children. 

"Two children lost their lives in this case. This is a case that will probably go with you for the rest of your life," McHenry said. "This is an important case for Wes Coonrod. This case may mean the difference between freedom and imprisonment. The difference between life and death."

McHenry said that he would not ask the jurors to "stop being human" but that if the case would "spark an emotional response," if they could make a determination solely on the evidence presented.

The jurors were also asked to consider if they could remain impartial toward Coonrod if he does not take the stand in his own defense. Whether he will or not, McHenry said, had not yet been decided by attorneys. That most likely will not be decided until after the state presents its case. While the state must prove his guilt, McHenry said Coonrod does not have to prove his innocence.

One juror, who was ultimately dismissed, said, "I think if a man is innocent, he should sit up there and look us in the eye and tell us he's innocent." Most of the other jurors said they would not let that affect their decision. 

McHenry also posed questions regarding the use of alcohol and alcohol abuse, circumstantial evidence, paid expert testimony, and if they had heard of the Ryan Widmer homicide case out of Warren County. McHenry said that Widmer was convicted of murdering his wife in a bathtub. However, that conviction was overturned, he said, after it came out that members of the jury had conducted experiments outside the courtroom regarding how long it took a person to dry after exiting the bath. McHenry, and later Coss, impressed upon the jurors that their decisions on the case could be based only on evidence that is presented in the court and not by their own research. 

Approximately five additional jurors were dismissed following the questioning, and then the attorneys met in chambers with Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss. Upon returning to the courtroom, the attorneys met at the judge's bench, where they pared the jury pool down to the final 18. When the potential jurors who were not seated were dismissed, Highland County Clerk of Courts Paulette Donley swore them in. 

Coss then delivered jury instructions, and impressed upon them numerous times to not discuss the case with anyone, not to discuss it among themselves, and not to consume any news regarding the trial. 

When jurors visit the crime scene on Thursday, Coss said it is only so they will be familiar with the layout when evidence is presented, and so they will be able to put it into context. What they view at the crime scene is not evidence, Coss said, and he noted that the scene has changed in the seven months since the fire. 

In addition to the sheriff's office, Grandey and assistant prosecutors will accompany the jurors to the scene, as will defense attorneys McHenry and William Mooney. Coonrod will not visit the scene, though Coss said he has that right. 

Jurors are scheduled to report back to the Highland County Courthouse by 9 a.m. Thursday morning. Opening statements will be made when the jury returns.