Defense attorney Dan Lewan has also asked the jurors — the eleventh has just taken a seat at the witness stand for questioning — about knowledge they may have about the Jessica Lunsford Act in Florida and other laws that have been passed elsewhere, which are related to the case.
The Lunsford Act was signed by Governor Bush May 2, 2005. The law strengthened requirements for sex offenders to report their current address to law enforcement, as well as increased penalties for non-compliance.
Couey had not registered his address, 150 yards from the Lunsford home.
Knowledge of this law is important to the defense, because it would signal that the juror had previous knowledge of the fact Couey is a convicted sex-offender, a fact that the prosecution is not allowed to introduce as evidence during the trial.
The twelfth potential juror is the first to acknowledge knowledge of the confession, which has been thrown out, and she was immediately dismissed.
One juror has been excused so far because he had general knowledge of the legislation passed in the wake of Jessica's murder, as well as other details of the case, including knowledge of the confession, which has been suppressed, and recalling what have become iconic photos of Jessica wearing a fuzzy pink hat.
The eleventh juror, a female, Caucasian educator, who mentioned how the Jessica Lunsford Act has changed access to school grounds, is the first to connect the term "sex offender" to this line of questioning, though she has not excused during this round of jury selection.
The defense also has, to the puzzlement of some jurors, after they have been read the indictment, asked, "And do you know why John Couey may be here today,?" trying to discern if the potential jurors have been knowledge of the confession.
Follow the latest developments in the murder trial of John Couey as compiled and reported by the staff of the St. Petersburg Times and tampabay.com.
I just have a quick comment on our entire justice system in general. We get these sicko's such as John Couey and we worry so much about their rights as individuals that we forget about the rights of the sweet little girl(Jessica Lunsford) that he tortured and killed. I mean do u think John "sicko" Couey worried about her rights before he raped and tortured her. No he didn't. So why are we worried about weither is was intimidated by the father in the trial or if he had a fair trial. He admitted to a horrible and unthinkable crime. So he should fry....long and painful. Ask yourself "Does the punishment fit the crime"? Should a man that raped and tortured an innocent little girl be allowed to have three meals a day, a roof over his head, and the ability to obtain a college degree. NO NO NO. Jessica Lunsford can not eat three meals a day, she does not get to sleep in her bed anymore, and she didn't even get the chance to go to college. This man took these options from her, so he should not get any.
Posted by: Matt Campbell | March 24, 2007 at 11:52 AM