 "Photo: Kim Espinosa")
In preparation for the trial of Laura Hall, which begins today, lawyers whittled down a group of about 80 prospective jurors to 12 on Monday.
The six men and six women selected will have to decide whether Hall helped convicted murderer Colton Pitonyak cut up a body and whether she then drove him to Mexico to escape a murder charge. Hall's 24th birthday is today.
Hall, a UT alumna, has been charged with hindering apprehension and tampering with evidence in her alleged connection to the 2005 slaying of 21-year-old Jennifer Cave in West Campus. Both charges are third-degree felonies carrying the maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Earlier this year, a jury convicted Pitonyak in Cave's murder and sentenced him to 55 years. Pitonyak said during his trial that Hall handed him the shopping list of supplies used to mutilate the body, sawed off Cave's head and hands and then masterminded a trip to Mexico against his wishes.
Jim Sedwick, the boyfriend of Cave's mother, found Cave's body in the bathtub of Pitonyak's apartment on Aug. 18, 2005. Days after the slaying, Mexican authorities apprehended Pitonyak and Hall in Piedras Negras and extradited them to Eagle Pass, where police arrested Pitonyak.
The case has attracted a large amount of media coverage, which was the No. 1 factor in selecting jurors. Lawyers from both the prosecution and defense made it clear that any jurors who felt they were unable to decide the case without media influence should speak up in order to be dismissed.
Throughout the day's hearings at the 147th District Court, some of the potential jurors admitted to defense counsel Joe James Sawyer that the media coverage had biased their views of Hall. Sawyer said jurors needed to be positive of their ability to assess the case impartially.
One prospective juror cited Hall's now infamous quote, "That's how I roll," as a reason why he was biased. According to police affidavits, Hall made the comment to a friend after he asked why she was involved with Pitonyak and his trip to Mexico.
The gruesome nature of the crime also affected other jurors.
"[Given the seriousness of the charges], I was concerned because you start thinking of what you'd do in there," said one dismissed juror who wished to not be named. "Would you do what you feel or would you be persuaded by other jurors?"
Lawyers for both sides made sure jurors would be able to assess any degree of punishment should a guilty verdict be issued. For each crime, Hall could face between two and 10 years in jail with the possibility of probation. Citing hypothetical cases of evidence tampering, prosecutor Bill Bishop was able to make some jurors admit they would be able to sentence a guilty person to only probation, but a few were unwilling to make concessions for Hall's specific case.
Hall's attorney also brought up the Fifth Amendment, saying to jurors that a defendant's choice to not testify in their defense is not an admittance of guilt. Sawyer's statements made it seem that Hall will not take the stand.
While the trial could stretch into next week, State District Judge Wilford Flowers said he expects it to conclude Friday, and thus selected no alternates.
"I'm glad I didn't get selected," said dismissed juror Steve Cowell. "Time for dinner."
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