jmccann@heraldsun.com; 419-6601
DURHAM -- A jury has been seated in the first-degree murder trial of Shannon Elizabeth Crawley.
Assistant District Attorney David Saacks and defense lawyer C. Scott Holmes this morning are expected to make opening statements to those jurors.
Saacks is expected to argue Crawley shot and killed Smith Jan. 4, 2007, at Campus Crossings apartments on East Cornwallis Road.
Smith was a 25-year-old graduate student at N.C. Central University. She wrote stories and took pictures for NCCU's student newspaper, the Campus Echo.
Superior Court Judge Ronald Stephens is expected to rule today on whether or not to allow jurors to hear about an interview shortly after the murder between Crawley and Durham Police Department officers. The interview took place at Crawley's place of employment. The defendant was a 911 worker in Guilford County.
Crawley neither was under arrest during the police questioning nor told that whatever she said could be used against her in court, Holmes said. So the information police gathered from Crawley shouldn't be admitted into the trial, the lawyer said.
Saacks said police made clear to Crawley she was free to leave at any time. Any statements she made were of her own free will, he said.
During jury selection, which began on Monday, the judge talked about the case possibly delving into unfaithfulness in relationships and abortion. Stephens told potential jurors they'd have to be able to take in that information and still be fair to the defendant.
Among the potential jurors excused was a woman who said serving on the jury would cause her to miss out on too many clients here during income-tax season.
One potential juror said she really didn't have a hardship but offered that she has recently retired and is trying to start her own business. The judge didn't let her off the hook.
"Can I get excused for being honest?" the potential juror quipped.
