KFC Jury No-Shows Sought
By KENNETH DEAN
Staff Writer
NEW BOSTON - Bowie County Sheriff's deputies are searching for 87 people who failed to show for jury duty for the infamous 1983 Kentucky Fried Chicken murders.
State District Judge Clay Gossett of Henderson, who is hearing the capital murder case against Romero Pinkerton, 49, ordered writs of attachment be issued for 91 people who failed to appear for jury duty Wednesday morning.
The writs were issued to Bowie County Sheriff's Department officers who, at lunchtime, were in the process of seeking those people out and bringing them in to the Bowie County Courthouse to explain their absences.
After lunch, four of the people were escorted into the courtroom where three of them were excused from jury duty for medical reasons. The fourth person was bound over to general voir dire.
A Bowie County Sheriff's deputy reported to the court that deputies were trying to locate the other 87 people through various methods.
"We are calling most of them and even going by their homes, but it could take awhile," he said.
Some of those excused during voir dire proceedings included a family member of a man who is on death row and 26 others for medical reasons, college classes and people who were caretakers of bedridden family members.
Pinkerton is accused of taking part in the murder of five people abducted from a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant nearly three decades ago in Kilgore during what authorities claim was a botched robbery. If found guilty, Pinkerton, a convicted career criminal, could be put to death or face life in prison.
Killed in the spree were Mary Tyler, 37; Opie Ann Hughes, 39; Joey Johnson, 20; David Maxwell, 20; and Monte Landers, 19. The five were abducted on Sept. 23, 1983. Their bodies were found the next day on a rural Rusk County oil lease. Authorities said the five had been shot to death "execution-style."
Darnell Hartsfield, a co-defendant and Pinkerton's cousin, is expected to go on trial sometime next year.
Wearing a blue suit, Pinkerton cracked a smile when Gossett ordered one man attempting to be excused to report back for general voir dire.
The man told the judge he thought the case was stupid, that law enforcement waited too long to bring charges and that he just didn't care about the case, Pinkerton or the victims.
"I guess you could say I don't have any moral character and that is one of the things on this list," the man said.
Gossett just looked at the man and said, "Be back at 1:30."
Officials said Wednesday they expect jury selection to last about one month, with individual voir dire beginning next Tuesday.
Some have expressed concern over just 350 people being called for a capital murder case, and Billie Fox, the Bowie County District Clerk, said if more jurors are needed they will send out additional summons, which could slow down the jury selection process.
"We have never had to call for more jurors than this, but if we need to we will," she said. The trial was moved from Rusk County to Bowie County on a change of venue motion because of the extensive publicity in East Texas.
Potential jurors were asked to answer numerous questions to gauge their knowledge of the crime, their feeling about the use of DNA as criminal evidence and the use of the death penalty in criminal justice. Gossett said during the opening instructions that he understands people have lives, but added they also have a civil duty.
"We want to move this case along as quickly as possible, but our main objective is justice and making sure the defense gets a fair trial and the prosecution gets to present their case," he said,
The case is being prosecuted by the Texas Attorney General's Office in conjunction with the Rusk County District Attorney's Office.
Staff Writer
NEW BOSTON - Bowie County Sheriff's deputies are searching for 87 people who failed to show for jury duty for the infamous 1983 Kentucky Fried Chicken murders.
State District Judge Clay Gossett of Henderson, who is hearing the capital murder case against Romero Pinkerton, 49, ordered writs of attachment be issued for 91 people who failed to appear for jury duty Wednesday morning.
The writs were issued to Bowie County Sheriff's Department officers who, at lunchtime, were in the process of seeking those people out and bringing them in to the Bowie County Courthouse to explain their absences.
After lunch, four of the people were escorted into the courtroom where three of them were excused from jury duty for medical reasons. The fourth person was bound over to general voir dire.
A Bowie County Sheriff's deputy reported to the court that deputies were trying to locate the other 87 people through various methods.
"We are calling most of them and even going by their homes, but it could take awhile," he said.
Some of those excused during voir dire proceedings included a family member of a man who is on death row and 26 others for medical reasons, college classes and people who were caretakers of bedridden family members.
Pinkerton is accused of taking part in the murder of five people abducted from a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant nearly three decades ago in Kilgore during what authorities claim was a botched robbery. If found guilty, Pinkerton, a convicted career criminal, could be put to death or face life in prison.
Killed in the spree were Mary Tyler, 37; Opie Ann Hughes, 39; Joey Johnson, 20; David Maxwell, 20; and Monte Landers, 19. The five were abducted on Sept. 23, 1983. Their bodies were found the next day on a rural Rusk County oil lease. Authorities said the five had been shot to death "execution-style."
Darnell Hartsfield, a co-defendant and Pinkerton's cousin, is expected to go on trial sometime next year.
Wearing a blue suit, Pinkerton cracked a smile when Gossett ordered one man attempting to be excused to report back for general voir dire.
The man told the judge he thought the case was stupid, that law enforcement waited too long to bring charges and that he just didn't care about the case, Pinkerton or the victims.
"I guess you could say I don't have any moral character and that is one of the things on this list," the man said.
Gossett just looked at the man and said, "Be back at 1:30."
Officials said Wednesday they expect jury selection to last about one month, with individual voir dire beginning next Tuesday.
Some have expressed concern over just 350 people being called for a capital murder case, and Billie Fox, the Bowie County District Clerk, said if more jurors are needed they will send out additional summons, which could slow down the jury selection process.
"We have never had to call for more jurors than this, but if we need to we will," she said. The trial was moved from Rusk County to Bowie County on a change of venue motion because of the extensive publicity in East Texas.
Potential jurors were asked to answer numerous questions to gauge their knowledge of the crime, their feeling about the use of DNA as criminal evidence and the use of the death penalty in criminal justice. Gossett said during the opening instructions that he understands people have lives, but added they also have a civil duty.
"We want to move this case along as quickly as possible, but our main objective is justice and making sure the defense gets a fair trial and the prosecution gets to present their case," he said,
The case is being prosecuted by the Texas Attorney General's Office in conjunction with the Rusk County District Attorney's Office.
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