The Denver Post
Potential Bryant jurors report
Saturday, August 28, 2004 - Eagle - Under a tight lid of secrecy, precisely 300 potential jurors appeared Friday at the Eagle County courthouse to answer written questions that will help determine whether they will serve on the jury in the Kobe Bryant sex-assault trial.
The jury-selection process begins in earnest Monday, after attorneys have had a chance to study the questionnaires over the weekend. "At this point, we have a sufficient pool," said Karen Salaz, spokeswoman for the state court administrator's office, which sent out 999 juror summonses. "A third ... is about status quo for the state of Colorado." Potential jurors approached the task with appropriate solemnity as they listened to the instructions of District Judge Terry Ruckriegle and filled out the forms, Salaz said. "I felt like those people were really taking their responsibility very seriously," she added. On Monday, the first 25 to 30 potential jurors will be called into Ruckriegle's chambers and questioned one by one, a process that could last up to four days. Bryant, 26, is accused of raping a 19-year-old hotel clerk in June 2003 while in Eagle County for knee surgery. The Los Angeles Lakers star admitted to adultery but said the liaison was consensual. Under rules announced Wednesday, journalists will not be permitted into the courthouse to cover jury selection, something they historically have been permitted to do in Colorado. Many media outlets are challenging the restrictions. The first time the media can enter the courtroom will be on the day of opening statements, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 7, the day after Labor Day. The media can listen to what is known as "open voir dire," or selection of the jury pool, probably late next week, after many potential jurors have been excused. Reporters will listen from a trailer near the courthouse. A steady steam of jury-pool members began entering the courthouse through the front door just before 9 a.m. Many were in the courthouse slightly less than an hour before departing out the back door.
Click here for the official court website with officials court orders, filings and documents in the People v. Bryant case.
Click here to see a copy of the felony charges against Bryant in the PDF format. case.
Click here for a chronology of the Bryant case.
Click here for The Denver Post's graphic describing the events of June 30, 2003.
Click here for an interactive presentation on Bryant's career.
Click here for the 9NEWS archive on the case.
Click here for the CourtTV archive on the case.
There are several scenarios in which the trial could be delayed. Ruckriegle will consider whether to allow a hearing so that prosecutors can challenge the defense's DNA evidence. If Ruckriegle determines that the defense's DNA experts are unqualified or evidence contaminated, then defense attorneys likely would request the trial be continued so they could find new DNA experts to testify on Bryant's behalf. The trial also could be delayed if a qualified jury isn't seated from among the 300 potential jurors. The case has received almost constant coverage in the media, during which many details of the case have been revealed. Many Eagle residents already have made up their minds about the case, lawyers and residents of the area say. If so, finding a jury that hasn't prejudged the case will be more complicated and could take more time, experts say. |