Inside the Courtroom
Trial of the Child Molestation Case
WARNING: Some readers may find the content of this story disturbing. Discretion is advised.
On Sept. 11, while our country mourns the fifth anniversary of our nation's worst domestic tragedy, another domestic tragedy will unfold in a suburban Atlanta courtroom. Former foster parent Ronald William Shelton will be put on trial before the Superior Court of Gwinnett County, Ga., for molestation of two of his foster children.
The allegations are grim. The State of Georgia accuses Shelton of nine counts of child molestation and aggravated child molestation. Eight of the counts include sexual acts between Ronnie Shelton and a young girl. The remaining count includes a sexual act with a young boy.
Fostering Families Today is undertaking a unique opportunity to share the story of a real life foster parent on trial for allegations of child sexual abuse. Each day, Fostering Families Today through an experienced, knowledgeable, former foster parent, Erik Cooper, will bring to you a summary of actual trial events, including the jury selection process, opening statements of both the prosecutor and defense, victim and witness testimony, closing arguments and, of course, the verdict. The intent is not to sensationalize or exploit the life-changing events of this legal process. View this trial as a classroom, where we will identify in layman's terms, the legal procedure and terminology commonly used in the courtroom to enhance your understanding of the process as it unfolds.
We strongly recommend reader discretion of this story. Some readers may be offended by the content. Details of the accusations against Shelton may be considered graphic and disturbing to some readers. Please do not allow any child to read our coverage of this trial.
Coverage of this case will be objective and impartial. Neither this publication nor this writer will claim the innocence or guilt of Ronnie Shelton. Instead, as our readers, you will be provided fair and balanced coverage of the daily courtroom activities. Both Fostering Families Today and I are excited about this unique opportunity to share with you, trial of the child molestation case.
Fostering Families Today will provide daily updates of courtroom testimony available at www.adoptinfo.net. Upon conclusion of the trial, Fostering Families Today will publish a complete story of Trial of the Child Molestation Case. |
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Tuesday, September 12, 2006 previous day's entry
DAY 2: JURY SELECTION CONTINUES
By Erik A. Cooper
WARNING: Some readers may find the content of this story disturbing. Discretion is advised.
Jury selection continued this morning in the child molestation trial of former foster parent Ronald William Shelton.
Honorable Judge R. Timothy Hamil, who returned to the bench today as the presiding judge following his absence yesterday due to a death in the family, presided over the proceedings. The jury pool was sequestered while individual juror questioning was conducted.
Individual juror questioning allows attorney’s an opportunity to carefully probe each juror’s opinions before determining whether to accept or strike the juror from selection. Understanding each juror’s personal life experiences, opinions and relationships is critical for both the state prosecutor and defense attorney. Sequestration of jurors allow for one-on-one interviewing of juror candidates by the state prosecutor and defense attorney to probe for information and determine if the candidate is likely to vote in favor of guilt or innocence of the accused.
Selecting the right individual to serve as a juror in a trial of sensitive issues is no easy task. Unlike crimes involving no physical harm to people, such as burglary, drug trafficking or embezzlement, child molestation cases are personal in nature and often evoke highly emotional responses. Child molestation trials are especially difficult, since most people agree they are affected by knowing a child may have been molested or abused.
Honorable Judge George Hutchinson, sitting in for Judge Hamil yesterday, began jury selection by explaining certain rules specific to criminal jury trials in Georgia, followed by an 18-minute reading of the nine count indictment. Count by count, the accusations against Shelton created grimacing expressions on many juror faces. Juror #43, for example, passed a note to a bailiff, which was then rushed to the judge’s bench. The note, later read into the court’s record outside the presence of the jury pool, indicated the juror felt her heart racing, was claustrophobic, and needed to leave the courtroom immediately. The juror indicated she had been a victim of child molestation herself. Such disclosures are common in child molestation trials.
How a Georgia Criminal Trial Jury is Selected
A felony criminal trial jury in Georgia must consist of 12 jurors. Additionally, courts often empanel alternate jurors to serve should a selected juror not complete the trial. During pretrial motion hearings, the state prosecutor and defense attorney often discuss the selection process for juror selection. They negotiate the number of jurors to be called from the community for selection of the general jury pool. In the matter of State of Georgia vs. Ronald William Shelton, 65 jurors were summoned. Each prospective juror was assigned a number for the duration of the jury selection process.
When the jury pool is assembled, the bailiff provides the judge and both attorneys with two lists of information. The first list, a jury inventory, provides the juror’s name and assigned number. The second list, a data log, offers more information, including the juror’s name, marital status, number of children, length of residency in the county, occupation, employer and other data. Jury consultants carefully review this information to determine which jurors may likely vote the innocence or guilt of the defendant.
In reviewing the data log, certain jurors selected for the general pool are often eliminated immediately. Two jurors, for example, were dismissed yesterday when their occupations were identified as law enforcement officers. Police officers and certain government employees or public officials may not serve on any jury in most states. Some jurors can also be dismissed for cause, such as health issues, difficulty with child care, or the likelihood of a financial hardship. One juror today was dismissed for cause when he learned two of the scheduled witnesses were friends of his family -- Ronnie Shelton’s sons.
Striking Out
From the pool of 62 remaining potential jurors, the court must provide no less than 36 prospective jurors for selection by either the state prosecutor or defense attorney. According to the Georgia Rules of Criminal Procedure, the state prosecutor and defense attorney are each granted 12 “strikes” from the jury pool. When a juror is “struck,” the juror is removed from the pool and will not be selected. Knowing when to exercise your “strikes” is critical to picking the right jurors for your case. Exercising too many strikes too early may result in the opponent’s selection of a juror who may be quite unfavorable to your case. Passing on certain opportunities to strike a juror may also empanel a juror you wouldn’t otherwise want.
Problems Already
Upon concluding today’s court proceedings, Judge Hamil acknowledged nearly half of the prospective jurors have already been dismissed for cause due to financial hardships, language barriers, health issues or other reasons. Twenty-four potential jurors have been “qualified” to serve as jurors. Twelve more are needed. Of the 45 jurors examined to date, only 23 jurors remain in the selection pool. With the likely possibility that many of the 23 remaining jurors may be dismissed for cause or other reasons, a shrinking jury pool means fewer jurors will be available to fill all 36 required seats. Without 36 available jurors in the selection pool, the court must empanel additional jury members from the community, and the general questioning and individual voir dire processes begin again.
Judge Hamil expressed concern today for timely selection of a jury while considering the length of the trial and the court’s already busy calendar. More than 40 witnesses have been named to appear during these proceedings. The trial is expected to last two weeks, but with an insufficient number of pooled jurors available for selection, the jury selection process may be extended to complete selection of 36 potential jurors.
What’s coming up?
Though Judge Hamil hopes to have a jury seated by Wednesday morning and to begin opening arguments by Wednesday afternoon, the likelihood of completing the voir dire process for the remaining 23 jurors in the general pool is unlikely. Jury selection is anticipated to continue Wednesday and, possibly, throughout the remainder of the week.
Learn more about this true life trial of the child molestation case by checking this Web site daily and clicking on each day’s new link.
Have a question?
Did our coverage of this trial exclude something you find important? Email us at editor@adoptinfo.net, or louis@adoptinfo.net to ask us your question. We will share your thought with our writer, Erik A. Cooper, and post his response to your question in our blog soon.
Share your opinion!
Your opinion counts! With your input, we can all learn from this coverage. What do you think? Share your opinion by e-mailing us at louis@adoptinfo.net or editor@adoptinfo.net.
About the writer:
For more information about Erik Cooper’s personal experience as a foster parent accused of child molestation, visit his website at www.ErikCooper.com. You may also read Cooper’s personal story written exclusively for Fostering Families Today online at this link:
http://www.fosteringfamiliestoday.com/FFT/fft_web/ci_spotlight_beanId_2837.html.
DISCLAIMER: Trial of a Child Molestation Case is a true story involving actual events and the people involved. Whenever possible, the actual names of those involved in the case have been used. All minor children’s names have been changed to protect them. All information is available through access of public records, including actual courtroom testimony, transcripts, and other written documentation. Some information may not be available under seal of the court.
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