JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A juror says she can’t serve as Day 2 of jury selection gets underway in the death penalty case of Russell Tillis.
After a surprisingly successful day of jury selection Monday – 10 of 12 jurors selected – Tuesday morning started with a surprise. Juror 15 told Judge Mark Borello she could not serve on the case in a letter.
Judge says she expressed concern "to put it mildly" about serving on the jury and that it would be the court’s recommendation to excuse her for cause.
First Coast News was not in the courtroom at the time.
“It’s clear she’s very upset,” said Charles Fletcher, Tillis’ attorney.
Borello did not read the woman’s letter into the record, to protect the juror’s privacy. He said he will place it in the record under seal.
Tillis is accused of kidnapping, sex trafficking, murder and abusing a dead human body. He has pleaded not guilty.
Tillis is accused of killing and dismembering 30-year-old Joni Gunter roughly six years ago and burying her remains in his Southside backyard.
The high-profile case has received years of media attention, but only three of 30 potential jurors Monday had heard his name or news reports about his Southside home, which neighbors dubbed the “House of Horrors.”
By Monday's end, 10 jurors were selected, with two more jurors and four alternates needed, a process that resumed Tuesday.
Tillis’ attorney Allison Miller spent the day Monday questioning potential jurors about their views on the death penalty, her line of questioning reflecting just how difficult the facts of the case are.