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U.S. NEWSTuesday 12 April 2016
Justin Ross Harris motions to one of his attorneys in Marietta, Ga. The judge overseeing the trial City mourns Saints player as
of Harris heard on Monday from about a dozen potential jurors who said they had scheduling
conflicts. questions over death remain
(Kelly J. Huff/Marietta Daily Journal via AP) KEVIN MCGILL
REBECCA SANTANA
Georgia: Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — People across Louisiana were try-
Jury selection begins in SUV death case ing Monday to process the news that one of the Saints’
much-loved players, former defensive end Will Smith,
KATE BRUMBACK take that Harris will have to the potential jurors in the was shot in the back Saturday night in what police
Associated Press deal with for the rest of his jury pool. Two jurors were called an act of deadly road-rage.
MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — The life. excused, including one Smith, 34, arrived in New Orleans in 2004 as a No. 1 draft
judge overseeing the trial Harris is a native of Tuscalo- who had bought tickets in pick and played with such passion and power that he
of a Georgia man ac- osa, Alabama, and moved November to go to Paris for quickly became a defensive captain. Off the field, he
cused of intentionally leav- to Georgia in 2012 to work two weeks with his wife to won hearts in his adopted city, which was devastated
ing his son in a hot SUV to for Home Depot. celebrate their 40th wed- by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and rejuvenated when the
die heard on Monday from He was indicted in Sep- ding anniversary. Saints won the Superbowl in 2009.
about a dozen potential tember 2014 on multiple Most of the potential jurors “I am telling you that this man loved the city of New
jurors who said they had charges, including malice are expected to report for Orleans,” said Terrell Haynes, who got to know Smith
scheduling conflicts. Two murder, felony murder and jury duty Tuesday to fill out and his wife Racquel through their work with Kingsley
were excused. cruelty to children. That a questionnaire. Further House, an organization helping underprivileged fami-
Justin Ross Harris, 35, faces indictment also includes questioning of individual lies and kids. “That’s the part that is really disheartening,
charges including murder charges related to sexually jurors by lawyers from both that this man loved this city.”
in the June 18, 2014, death explicit exchanges pros- sides is expected to last at Police said Cardell Hayes, a former semi-pro football
of his 22-month-old son, ecutors say Harris had with least into next week. player, rear-ended Smith’s Mercedes G63 with his Hum-
Cooper. Police have said an underage girl. The extensive local and vee H2, pushing it into a Chevrolet Impala carrying
the boy died after spend- Jurors who had sent in no- national news coverage of Smith’s acquaintances, before Hayes opened fire.
ing about seven hours in tices of scheduling conflicts the case from the begin- A defense attorney for Hayes, John Fuller, says there’s
the SUV on a day when the appeared Monday be- ning will likely make it ex- more to the story: He said Hayes himself had been rear-
temperature in the Atlanta fore Cobb County Superior tremely difficult to find jurors ended moments earlier by a hit-and-run driver, and
area reached at least into Court Judge Mary Staley to who haven’t heard or read called 911 to describe the car he was following before
the high 80s. explain their conflicts. Many about it. Defense attorneys he ran into the back of Smith’s Mercedes. It remains
Prosecutors have painted of the excuses included have already asserted in unclear whether the car he was pursuing was the Mer-
Harris as a man unhappy travel, for either personal or pretrial hearings that some cedes, the Impala or some other unrelated car.
and unfaithful in his mar- professional reasons. of the media coverage The two men — both big and imposing — then angrily
riage who sought an es- Staley and the attorneys has been sensationalist confronted each other on Felicity Street shortly before
cape and intentionally left for both sides were able and misleading and could midnight. Moments later, witnesses heard gunfire. Smith
the boy to die. Defense to figure out ways to ac- cause potential jurors to was killed by bullets in his back and torso. His wife was
attorneys have called the commodate most of the come in with a negative wounded in the leg.
boy’s death a tragic mis- requests while still keeping view of their client.q Police arrived soon thereafter, handcuffing Hayes.
As paramedics wheeled Racquel Smith away on a
stretcher, her husband’s lifeless arm could be seen
above his steering wheel, his body slumped partially
outside his car.
Hayes, 28, was being held on $1 million bond after po-
lice arrested him on a charge of second-degree mur-
der. He was in court again Monday as arrangements
were made for a new lawyer to eventually replace
Fuller, who will soon begin work as a temporary judge.
Prosecutors now have 60 days to decide how to pro-
ceed.
Fuller insisted outside court Monday that Hayes will be
vindicated once the full story emerges. Someone “be-
sides my client” was behaving in a threatening man-
ner, he said. “My client has been pilloried, convicted
and tried,” he added, complaining about media cov-
erage.
Questions remain about what exactly transpired that
night. Police haven’t released the accounts of Racquel
Smith, the passengers in the other cars, nor any other
witnesses. A police spokesman, Tyler Gamble, said he
had no immediate information about the 911 call.q
