2nd try at jury selection begins in Georgia hot car death trial

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A second attempt at jury selection in the trial of a metro Atlanta man charged with killing his toddler son began Monday, at a new courthouse 275 miles from the suburban parking lot where the child died in the back seat of a hot SUV.

Despite the long-distance relocation of the trial, most potential jurors questioned by the judge said they not only had heard about the case against Justin Ross Harris, but had also formed opinions about his guilt or innocence.

Harris, 35, is charged with murder in the June 2014 death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper. Nearly three weeks of efforts to find an impartial jury in Cobb County fell apart in May, with the judge agreeing to move the case because of pretrial publicity.

Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark reconvened the trial Monday in coastal Glynn County, where about 250 people were summoned to jury duty. Two weeks have been set aside to seat a jury.

“It’s not a case where you can pick a jury in one day or two,” Clark said before adjourning for the evening Monday.

The judge began questioning the first group of 36 potential jurors Monday afternoon. Of those, 27 said they had previously seen news stories or other information about Harris’ case. And 19 panelists, just over half, said they had expressed or formed an opinion about Harris’ guilt or innocence.

However, when asked by the judge to stand if they were biased against Harris or did not feel “perfectly impartial” between prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case, all of the 36 possible jurors remained seated.

Meanwhile, the judge agreed to dismiss 13 people who claimed jury duty would cause them undue hardship.