Ross Harris murder trial: Jury selection

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Jury selection for the Ross Harris murder trial continued Friday in Cobb County. 

Many of the questioned jurors said they will try to be open and listen to the evidence in this case.

On Friday, another juror was excused by the judge because of an upcoming medical procedure.

So far, the selection has been slow, but steady.

This week, six more people were added as potential jurors and 26 people have now qualified for the next round of jury selection. 

The state said it needs between 40 to 70 to pick an impartial jury.

One of the potential jurors attorneys questioned on Thursday was an Air Force Lt. Col. who works at Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta. The married mother of three said she would serve if called on, because she has not formed an opinion in the case.

Juror #43 had knee surgery on Monday and came to court with a doctor's note that said he should be excused. The juror went on to say his wife is obsessed with the case and would not let him find Harris "not guilty."

Harris is accused of leaving his son Cooper to die in a hot car. Prosecutor's say he was sexting with underage girls. Harris' defense team says it was all an accident. 

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Wednesday, the defense team told Judge Mary Staley that many of the potential jurors have already formed opinions and should be struck from the jury for cause. 

Tuesday, Harris appeared to weep in court as a potential juror talked about Little Cooper struggling to breathe just before he died. Juror number 29 is a mother of four and teaching assist in a pre-first grade class. She told the court she believes Harris is guilty. The juror said she recalled from media coverage that Harris went back to the car during lunch, but claimed he didn't see his son.

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"I also recalled the child had claw marks on his body where he had suffered while trying to get out of the car," the Cobb mother recalled.

That is when Harris' eyes became watery and a tear was seen on his cheek. His attorney Brian Lumpkin even handed him a tissue.

The state has said it needs at least 40 candidates in the pool before a jury is selected.

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Monday, as week two of jury selection began, an unusual potential juror was questioned by attorneys. Juror number 22 told the court he wants to serve on the high-profile case. The unemployed man said he has an open mind and even has a special ability to discern who is telling the truth. The single father of two also admitted he watches porn because it’s “cheaper than dating.” The Cobb County resident said his mother and aunt routinely left him in a hot car growing up.

Lawyers from both sides questioned two other potential jurors who were young parents on Monday. A Morgan Stanley manager and a paper products engineer and manager both said they were leaning toward guilt before the trial  even started.

Prosecutors said Harris was sexting under aged girls while on the job, as his innocent son took his last breath.

JURY SELECTION WEEK 1: 

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Last week, by Friday at noon, the judge had released five from the pool of 250 for cause, meaning those five could not serve on a jury due to legal reasons. One of the reasons cited was a bias against the defendant. A juror Friday had a language barrier and spoke Portuguese.

Harris attorney, Mattox Kilgore, noted that seven in the first pool of 12 potential jurors already believe his client is guilty.

At one point, a former AT&T employee told attorneys she had read 30 to 40 articles on the case and she just believes Harris is guilty. She even wrote on her questionnaire “He is one screwed up person.”

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The voir dire process of individual questioning started off very slowly. 

Jury selection is expected to last another week or two.

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