Jury pool full of close ties
Posted Sep17, 2007 at 04:50 PM
During attempts to seat people from a second group of potential jurors, Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs dismissed one of Willam Morva's former school classmates.
"Me and Mr. Morva went to high school together," he said.
When pressed further about whether the relationship would cloud his judgement, he cut off Grubbs and said, "We were on a first-name basis."
The former Blacksburg High School student was not the first possible juror to be dismissed because of close ties to the case.
Montgomery Regional Hospital spokeswoman Suzanne Barnette was sent home earlier after revealing that she worked for the medical center and could not set aside her opinions on the case.
"I handled the media," she told the court.
Barnette was interviewed numerous times by reporters in the wake of the incident for which Morva is charged and has been involved in fundraising for the victims of that incident and setting up a memorial at her hospital for McFarland.
Comments
[September 18, 2007 8:10 AM]
BrendaMy concern at this ponit is what the heck has happened to America's justice system?
Since when can a murder:
1. Ambushing/badly beating an officer (ambush-style)
2. Flee custody
3. Be recorded on hospital video escaping with a stolen service revolver
4. Kill an unarmed security guard on the way out
5. Kill a uniformed officer the following morning (ambush-style)
...and there is worry about how "fairly" he is going to be treated by a jury!?
Why are we wasting time on this guy? Dig a hole and bury him. Please.
Brenda
[September 19, 2007 10:58 AM]
ElizabethMy dear Brenda, about your desire to forego a trial and just "dig a hole and bury him" (Morva) - I sincerely hope that you are never accused of a crime and are lynched by a mob who are very sure you are guilty and therefore need no trial. Without this country's fine due process laws, in which all are entitled to a trial before ones peers, we would have sunk into mob rule decades ago and would never know who is accusing us or why. USSR, anyone??
[September 19, 2007 12:27 PM]
Mary A. SutphinI am afraid I have to agree with Brenda. Morva will have all kinds of lawyers from the Virginia Capital Clearing house for his defense. He has no defense and the sooner he goes to the chair or gas chamber and the state stop wasting money on him, the happier I will be. I don't know why a judge could not pass sentence in this case. It is very clear cut. HE IS GUILTY OF KILLING TWO GOOD MEN.
[September 19, 2007 6:03 PM]
DazedAndConfuzedYou know, I would have said the same, just "dig a hole and bury him". But give it due process. He's guilty, he'll be convicted, and he'll die in prison. End of story, he chose the life he'll live from here on it. And it won't be a good one.
[September 20, 2007 10:46 AM]
MandieI went to school with Will and he was always very sweet and gentle. It is hard to imagine what caused this terrible chain of violent events.