Little headway was made this morning in picking a jury in the trial for Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. as the judge excused four would-be jurors without advancing any to the final selection round.
In one instance, U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Erickson dismissed a woman from jury duty after she emphatically stated she couldn't be a part of a group responsible for the death of someone else.
Rodriguez is charged with kidnapping resulting in the death of Dru Sjodin and faces a potential death sentence if convicted of the crime.
A woman who works as a corrections officer was excused after she told the judge she would probably give law enforcement officers greater credibility than other witnesses.
"We'll find jurors without this problem, so I'm going to excuse her," Erickson said.
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The judge said he needed more time to decide whether another prospective juror should be moved into the final selection round, which will ultimately hold 70 people but so far numbers just over half that.
The woman in question told the judge she believed only God had the right to claim someone's life, but she might be able to make a life-or-death decision after great soul searching and prayer.
"I would really have to have peace with my God before I could impose the death penalty," she said.
