Jury Selection in King Case Enters Final Stage

Jury selection in the trial of four police officers charged with violating Rodney G. King’s civil rights entered its final stage Friday, as prosecutors and defense lawyers began removing panelists.

That process took all afternoon, but moved much more quickly than jury selection has for the last few days. As a result, defense attorneys predicted that a full panel of 12 jurors and three alternates could be in place Monday or Tuesday, clearing the way for opening statements to be delivered next week in the trial of Stacey C. Koon, Laurence M. Powell, Timothy E. Wind and Theodore J. Briseno.

Eleven prospective jurors were dismissed Friday for a variety of reasons. Some complained of health problems, one expressed fear for his safety, and some were found to be so biased that they could not fairly weigh evidence. Although most of the prospective jurors have argued that they can be fair despite their feelings about the case, one woman admitted that she is so supportive of police that she could not be impartial.

“People don’t give them the credit or respect that they deserve,” said the woman, whose father is in law enforcement. “We don’t understand the stress or pressure that these four men are under.”

After hearing those comments, Assistant U.S. Atty. Steven D. Clymer asked: “Is it your opinion you couldn’t be a fair juror?”

“You got it,” she responded. She was then excused by the judge.

That woman and several others were removed “for cause,” meaning that the judge felt they could not be impartial. Five other prospective jurors were dismissed by attorneys using so-called peremptory challenges, a process that does not require the lawyers to state their reasons. Prosecutors are allowed to exercise eight of those challenges, while defense lawyers have 14.

By day’s end, defense lawyers had used three challenges to remove a black man, a white man and a Latino woman.

The white man compared the use of force on King to the actions of police during the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, while the Latino woman--a high school history teacher--said she believed King was “seriously beaten” and spoke of her desire to be a member of the jury because she believes it will be a trial of historic significance.

The black man, a student working toward a degree in social work, said he was appalled when he first saw the videotape of the King beating and added that he felt anger toward the police. Although he said he could be impartial, defense lawyers asked U.S. District Judge John G. Davies to remove him because of his biases. When Davies turned down that request, the defense attorneys used a peremptory challenge to remove him.

The result of those actions is that the panel of 12 prospective jurors includes just one minority--a young black postal worker whom defense lawyers have described as a “perfect juror.” Attorneys for the officers insisted that there was no racial motivation in their choices.

Prosecutors have the option of objecting if they believe that prospective jurors are being removed because of their race, but they did not object to either of the minority jurors challenged Friday.

“No fair-minded person could even intimate that this is based on race,” said Ira Salzman, Koon’s lawyer.

In exercising two of their peremptory challenges, prosecutors used one to dismiss a white man who said his experiences with police growing up had been “very positive.” They used another to eliminate a white emergency room employee who spoke favorably of her experiences with police--including an incident in which officers used force against her son while he was under the influence of drugs.