Jury pool narrowed down in Jeffs trial

ST. GEORGE — Attorneys on Monday narrowed down the jury pool in the trial of jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, following a long day of individual questioning before 5th District Judge James L. Shumate.

Jeffs is charged with two first-degree felony counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in conducting a spiritual marriage between an unwilling 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin.

Of the initial 300 potential jurors summoned to fill out questionnaires Friday, about 70 either failed to appear or were excused from jury duty that day. Those remaining were asked to arrive at the courthouse Monday morning and afternoon, in blocks of 50 people, for one-on-one interviews.

Those assigned to the morning session arrived at 9 a.m. and were taken into the courtroom to wait their turn in Shumate's small office. Although 50 people were expected, 19 had already been excluded based on answers given in their questionnaires.

During the afternoon session, another 26 of the 50 people assigned to that time slot were excused before the meeting began. At the end of the day, seven people were dismissed from a field of 29 possible candidates.

Another nine people were qualified to be in the final selection process, which left 13 people who were not interviewed on Monday because of time constraints. They will be interviewed first thing Tuesday morning when another group of 50 potential jurors will show up at the courthouse.

Attorneys will continue the process until the rest of the jury pool is interviewed and either qualified or dismissed for the final selection process, which could begin as early as Wednesday morning. Shumate said he needs at least 28 viable candidates for the final jury pool, out of which eight jurors and four alternates will be selected.

The interviews were closed to the public, although reporters from various news agencies took turns watching the process. The judge ordered reporters not to disclose specifics of what took place during the interviews or what was said by the attorneys or potential jurors, said Nancy Volmer, public information officer for the Utah State Courts. The Deseret Morning News and other media outlets are contesting that decision.

Jeffs also was sitting in the room, listening intently as defense attorney Wally Bugden questioned the potential jurors. A team of three prosecuting attorneys, two court bailiffs and a court reporter also were there, as was the judge.

Many of the queries posed to the potential jurors focused on clarification of their written answers in the jury questionnaire. Those questions focused on their personal beliefs, knowledge of the case and exposure to media reports of Jeffs and the Fundamentalist LDS Church, which he leads.

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E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com