Jurors seated for Aurora theater shooting trial, now await opening

[fizzgig]

CENTENNIAL — They are a plumber and a teacher, a lawyer and a gas station attendant, a military veteran and an active-duty service member.

The 19 women and five men picked Tuesday in Arapahoe County District Court to decide what constitutes justice in the Aurora movie theater shooting share little more in common than a home county and a commitment to weighing the case impartially. But, for the next four to five months, they will sit beside one another, listening to evidence and ultimately deciding whether James Holmes is guilty for an attack that left 12 people dead and 70 others wounded. And, if they find he is, they will decide whether he should be executed.

What began three months ago with 9,000 juror summonses — among the largest jury calls in U.S. history — reached its end Tuesday evening with a panel of 12 jurors and 12 alternates, mostly white. Only the judge and attorneys know which jurors are alternates until it comes time for deliberation.

Opening statements in the trial are scheduled for shortly after noon April 27.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27910764/aurora-theater-shooting-trial-jury-likely-be-seated

even if the jury convicts and even if they give him the dp, i doubt that sentence will ever be carried out. there has been one execution in the state since it was re-allowed in the 70s and, a few years ago, the governor gave an "indefinite reprieve" to a man who has been on death row for 20 years. i don't know how many dp cases there have been in the state over any period of time, but there are currently only three people on death row.

there's also a breakdown of the jury at the link and here's something that jumped out at me (and is totally unrelated to the case itself).

Seat 24: No. 313. Man. Works at a gas station. His employer won't pay him while he's serving, but he said he could scrape by on $50 a day.

he's going to spend the next four or five months living on $6.25 an hour. i hope he's going to be ok.

[postulater]

1. Wow. We get $19 per day in Wisconsin. That includes parking.

[DarknessFalls]

2. We should go fund me for him.

[Lurks Often]

3. I expect a guilty verdict

unless the defense can some how convince the jury that the little POS was/is mentally incompetent and I don't see that happening.

It seems a bit much for the trial to take 4-5 months, this is a pretty straight forward case

On edit: I doubt the gas station has the money to pay the full salary in addition to the salary of the person they hire to replace him during the trial. If it is a convenience store/gas station, many are franchises and the profit margin isn't that high.