Jury Selection Begins In Capital Gazette Mass Shooting Case
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- The man who pleaded guilty to killing five people at the Capital Gazette almost three years ago was back in court Wednesday.
After delays in a case, jury selection for the second phase of Jarrod Ramos' trial has begun. Once the final jurors are chosen, they will decide if Ramos is criminally responsible for the mass shooting where five people were killed.
Judge Michael Wachs is presiding over the case. He is expected to call about 50 potential jurors in the morning and 50 in the afternoon each day this week until the jury is formed.
There is a jury pool of about 300 people and the court will have to narrow that down to just 12 with alternates. By the end of the first day of jury selection, there were at least 60 qualified jurors.
Judge Wachs asked dozens of potential jurors about their feelings on guns, mass shootings and even if they've been a victim of a crime.
Law professor David Jaros said this is all about finding jurors who will block out outside influences.
"It's important to remember that we're not looking for jurors who have never heard about this case, rather for jurors who are willing to have no pre-conceived notions about what happened and willing to base their decision solely on what they hear in the courtroom," said Professor Jaros.
Ramos has already pleaded guilty to killing Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiassen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters at the Capital Gazette. This phase of the case will determine if he's criminally responsible which is Maryland's version of an insanity case.
Under Maryland's insanity defense law, a defendant has the burden to show by a preponderance of the evidence that he is not criminally responsible for his actions. State law says a defendant is not criminally responsible for criminal conduct if, because of a mental disorder or developmental disabilities, he lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct.
If found not criminally responsible, he would be committed to a maximum-security psychiatric hospital instead of prison.
Ramos sat silently in court and watched the potential jurors which included one woman who told the judge she can't put her bias aside because Ramos "already said he's guilty" and that in her opinion, "he's guilty and should not hide behind mental illness."
The judge excused her from the jury pool along with several others.
WJZ Reporter Ava-joye Burnett asked Professor Jaros "How hard is it for an individual to throw aside any potential biases and hone in on what they are hearing inside the courtroom?'
"I think it's incredibly hard," said Professor Jaros. "I think it is a huge concern particularly for the defense, that people will have developed strong feelings about this case, and there may be facts in those cases that are not facts that would be admissible in court and are not relevant necessarily to this particular decision."
The trial is set to begin next Tuesday -- one day after the shooting's three-year anniversary. The judge made the decision to move the start of the trial so it wouldn't land on the anniversary.
Judge Wachs said the goal is to seat the jury Friday afternoon. Day two of jury selection resumes on Thursday.
