Week 1 wrap-up

Well, folks, we’ve made it to the end of week 1 of Elijah Reid’s trial. First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for reading and commenting. This blog got huge really quickly and I’m glad you all seem to be enjoying it.

On to business. Week 1 was amazingly busy. Though there were really only about 3 days of testimony, a ton happened. With that in mind, here’s a handy wrap-up of the first week.

Day 1 – Monday, Jan. 4, 2010

What happened: Jury selection begins. 28 potential jurors, split into two groups of 14, were interviewed, as part of a group and individually, by lawyers on both sides and Judge Braud. Six jurors from the first group are seated and the second group yields three.

Evidence: None.

Witnesses: None

Day 2 – Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010

What happened: Though the second day of jury selection was supposed to start at 8:30 a.m., nothing happened until 10:05 a.m. I’m not really sure why. The remaining three jurors and one alternate are picked from the first group of 14 jurors questioned. After lunch, eight more potentials are called and the remaining two alternates are picked. A full jury is finally seated at 3:24 p.m.

Opening arguments began at 4:05 p.m. with a warning from Jeff Terronez.

“What I expect that you’re going to hear is that a number of my witnesses either use or deal drugs,” he said. “These witnesses weren’t necessarily the most cooperative with police in this investigation.”

He was quick to remind jurors they had all said in their interviews that they would give as much weight to the testimony of drug users and dealers as they would to any other witnesses.

The two victims were also involved with drugs, Mr. Terronez told the jury.

“You’re going to hear that Jermaine Robinson and Ryan Ferry went to a location in Rock Island to conduct a drug transaction,” he said.

William Schick, Mr. Reid’s attorney, agreed that some of the state’s witnesses were involved with drugs, but he pained a less-rosy picture of them.

“All the main witnesses the state is going to put on have criminal records to challenge their credibility,” he said. “My client knew nothing about any robbery, any armed robbery.”

One witness took the stand before things wrapped up at about 5:30 p.m.

Who testified: Rock Island police officer Ryan Barnett told jurors he was the first officer to arrive on the scene of the murders. “Basically, I noticed two people in the vehicle – the driver and a front-seat passenger,” he said. “Neither of them appeared to be moving, but they appeared to have their eyes open.”

Evidence: None.

Day 3 – Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010

What happened: Because of “previous engagements,” this was an early day, wrapping up just before 11:30 a.m. That said, enough happened. Jurors heard from another officer who responded to the scene after Officer Barnett. They also heard that two $20 bills, one of which was bloody, were found outside a house near the scene. A resident of the area near the crime scene testified that she called 911 when she discovered Mr. Ferry and Mr. Robinson in the car. Jurors also heard from a woman who lived in the area and said she heard gunshots, as well as a criminalist for the Rock Island Police Department. The criminalist, Mary Devine, did not finish testifying Wednesday.

Who testified:

• Rock Island police officer Brett Buchen said he found the bloody $20 bill.

• Latira Lee said she discovered Mr. Robinson and Mr. Ferry in the car and called 911. “I seen the black gentleman’s face real swollen. There was blood running from his nose,” she said, adding that she didn’t see any blood on Mr. Ferry.
• Leslie Solis said she heard gunshots shortly before the two men were found.
• Rock Island police criminalist Mary DeVine said she processed the evidence from the scene. She said she also examined the bodies of Mr. Ferry and Mr. Robinson.

Evidence:

• Seven photographs showing the intersection of 7th St. and 13th Ave., a house at 602 13th Ave and two $20 bills found outside the house.
• An aerial photograph showing where the murders occurred.
• Four photos of the black van Latira Lee said came to the scene and that she had seen previously at Century Woods apartment complex.
• The $20 bills found outside of 602 13th Ave.
• Photos of Mr. Robinson and Mr. Ferry taken before their deaths.
• Photos of the inside of the rear of Mr. Ferry’s red Oldsmobile Intrigue. In one of the photos, the bodies of the two men, in the front seat,  are partially visible.

Day 4 – Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010

What happened: It was the first full day of testimony. Jurors heard the rest of the testimony of Mary DeVine, as well as testimony from friends of Mr. Robinson and Mr. Ferry. Dr. Mark Peters, who performed the autopsies, also took the stand.

Who testified:

• Mary DeVine, criminalist for the Rock Island Police Department, whose testimony began on day 3. She spoke of finding bloody bills in the car where Mr. Robinson and Mr. Ferry were shot.
• Dr. Mark Peters, forensic pathologist who performed autopsies on Mr. Robinson and Mr. Ferry. He said either of two gunshots could have killed Mr. Robinson and that Mr. Ferry was killed by a shot that transected his brain stem.
• Rock Island police Detective Sean Roman told jurors he found $160 in $20 bills, some of them blood-stained, when he searched jeans belonging to Mr. Reid. Early on April 16, 2008, police executed a search warrant on an apartment at 1351 3rd St., Rock Island, where Mr. Reid was staying with his girlfriend Teresa Simmons and several children.
• Kendal Tomlinson, Mr. Ferry’s girlfriend, testified she began to suspect he was using cocaines in the weeks before his death.
• Kelly Wood, a friend of Mr. Ferry’s, said he smoked marijuana and used crack cocaine with Mr. Ferry. He said he knew Mr. Ferry sold marijuana, but did not think he sold crack or cocaine.
• Paul Hesse, a friend of Mr. Ferry’s, said he knew Mr. Robinson to be a drug dealer and did not like that Mr. Ferry was hanging around with him.
• Michael Watson, a friend of Mr. Robinson’s, said he never knew Mr. Robinson sold crack.
• Brooke Hawkins, a former girlfriend of Mr. Robinson’s, said he carried “ridiculous amounts” of money with him. “I told him, ‘Somebody’s going to try to get that money from you.'”

Evidence:

• Several photos of the interior and exterior of Mr. Ferry’s Oldsmobile Intrigue.
• Money recovered from the same car.
• Clothing, much of it blood-stained, worn by both victims the night they were killed.
• Bullet fragments recovered from both victims.
• Body diagrams and photos from the victims’ autopsies.
• Photos of a Ford Regency van allegedly driven by Mr. Reid the night of the murders.
• Photos of Mr. Reid’s apartment.
• Blood-stained bills found in the apartment.
• A revolver, allegedly used in the murders, recovered from a sewer in August 2009.

Day 5 – Friday, Jan. 8, 2010

What happened: Jurors got their first testimony from someone claiming to have been with Mr. Reid the night of the murders. They also heard from a girlfriend of Mr. Robinson.

Who testified:

• Jennifer Myrick: The girlfriend of Jermaine Robinson told jurors how her boyfriend was planning to buy 500 grams of cocaine from a man she called “Elijah” for a price of $13,000. She testified that she was worried someone was setting him up to be robbed.
• Terrell Aaron: Testified that Mr. Reid talked about robbing Mr. Robinson the night of April 11, 2008. He also said that Mr. Reid said bragged about how he “killed them n—–.” But on cross-examination, attorney Stephen Richards pointed out Mr. Aaron’s testimony varied from testimony he gave during a deposition on July 2, 2009.

Evidence: Nothing new was admitted. But jurors got another look at the revolver allegedly used in the murder.

What’s next

Stephen Richards didn’t finish his cross-examination of Terrell Aaron, so that will wrap up at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 11. Also slated to testify are Carter McCray and Jamil Stewart, who were supposedly with Mr. Reid the night of the murders.

Meet the jury

If you saw them on the street, you probably wouldn’t look twice at any of them. They look like — and are, in most respects — 12 ordinary people.

But those 12 ordinary people, in mere weeks, could find themselves making some very big decisions. They are the jurors — eight women and four men — who may ultimately decide three things: whether Elijah Reid is guilty or innocent of the murders of Jermaine Robinson and Ryan Ferry, whether he is eligible to receive the death penalty for those murders and whether he will be sentenced to death.

The 12 jurors — and three alternates — were culled from a list of 136 potentials.  Following is some information about each, gleaned from  group and individual interviews the lawyers and Judge Braud conducted. Some were asked more questions than others and some volunteered more information than others.

The first juror seated is a hairdresser from East Moline who said she has no kids. She drew some questions when it was revealed that Assistant Rock Island County State’s Attorney Norma Kauzlarich was a client of hers, as well as a family friend. She is also a relative (though not a close one) of Gustavo Dominguez, who was one of two people charged with the April, 2008 murder of Katherine Pedigo of Moline (Mr. Dominguez was found mentally unfit for trial in November, 2009). The juror said she was not terribly close to either Ms. Kauzlarich or Mr. Dominguez and that those affiliations would not affect her judgement in this case. The lawyers obviously agreed.

Juror 2 didn’t say much during either group or individual interviews. The man is a Moline resident who said he works on Arsenal Island. He wasn’t any more specific about his work, but did say he has two daughters and enjoys watching football and baseball.

The third juror seated is a pharmacy technician who enjoys bowling. Another quiet juror, she said she’s fairly neutral about the death penalty during her interview. The mother of three said one of her children is in the military, though she didn’t say which branch.

Three of the four male jurors came from the first group interviewed, including juror 4. This 48-year-old was probably the best-dressed potential juror (he was the only one who showed up in a shirt and tie), and was also one of the quietest. All he really revealed about himself during the interviews was a love of fishing and that he thinks the death penalty is appropriate for some, but not all, murders.

This brings us to juror 5. A resident of Illinois City, she taught 4th grade for years, but became a photographer after retiring. Though she’s been summoned for jury duty several times, this will be her first time actually serving on a jury. Though she said she was “mostly” against the death penalty, she was quick to add that there are certain situations where it might be warranted.

Juror 6 is the third of four male jurors and the last selected from the first group. An older gentleman who plays guitar, he provided one of the highlights of jury selection, at least in my mind. During his individual interview, Stephen Richards said, “You describe yourself as honest, hardworking and dependable,” referring to a question on the juror’s questionnaire. “Sounds like a Boy Scout, doesn’t it,” he replied as the courtroom cracked up.

The seventh juror seated is the first selected from the second group of 14. Another retiree, he works at the Quad City International Airport part-time. In his free time, he goes bowling and plays golf. He was also the last male juror selected.

Like juror 1, juror 8 drew some questions for some people she is associated with. She told lawyers and Judge Braud that her niece was convicted of murder-for-hire in Henry County years ago. She said the conviction would not affect her judgment in this case. This mother of four also has 10 grandkids and is a retired banker.

Juror number 9 also works on Arsenal Island doing operations research. One of the younger jurors (she was in her 30s, while many of the others ranged in age from the upper 40s into the 60s), she spends her free time bowling and playing pool.

Juror 10 was the first selected on day 2. As a quick side note, Judge Braud made sure the second day of jury selection moved quicker than the first, so potential jurors were asked fewer questions. Back to juror 10. She didn’t talk much about her personal life, except to say she’s a mother of six and a bus driver for the Riverdale school district.

The 11th juror seated is a 60-year-old from Moline. She drew some questions from Jeff Terronez because she said she’s a fan of the TV show Law and Order and Mr. Terronez wanted to make sure she knew the show was not a realistic portrayal of the judicial system. Besides watching Law and Order, juror 11 also collects pottery and knits.

The 12th and final juror works in Augustana College’s office of advancement. She has no grandkids, but says her three dogs fill that void.

Meet the alternates

With 12 jurors seated, we come now to the three alternates. Normally, only one or two are selected, but because the trial is going to be very long and because it involves the complex issue of the death penalty, Judge Braud wanted to have three.

Alternate 1 drew some discussion from the lawyers while they were considering her because she said on her questionnaire that she supported the death penalty for most murder cases. But when questioned by Mr. Richards, she convinced him that she would look at all the facts before deciding whether the death penalty is appropriate.

Alternate 2 is a 43-year-old supervisor in a machine shop. Aside from work, he said he likes watching the History Channel on TV, especially shows where it shows how things were built.

The final alternate describes herself as the outdoorsy type. When she’s not working at Hy-Vee in Milan, she likes camping and watching football.

And that, folks, is your look at Elijah Reid’s jury. 15 ordinary people, 12 of whom will be making some very big decisions in the coming weeks.

A quick, unrelated side note: You’re all invited to follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bill_mayeroff. I’ll be posting updates on Twitter during breaks in the trial action, as well as when I post an entry here. I’d also suggest following the official Twitter feed of the Dispatch/Argus at http://twitter.com/dispatch_argus. You’ll get all sorts of news updates throughout the day.