Keon Thomas Facing Death Penalty says Jury is Racially Biased.
Thursday, August 12, 2004 at 04:15PM
TheSpook
One Black, One Latino on jury.
One of two men facing federal death penalty murder
charges is apparently denouncing the recently completed jury selection
process as racially unfair. A woman who identified herself as the
mother of Keon Thomas, 29, of Hammond, sent The Times a six-page
handwritten letter this week in which Thomas explains why he boycotted
jury selection one afternoon last week. He said he believes the
proceeding was biased against him and fellow defendant Styles D.
Taylor, 24, of Hammond. "I being tried in front of a jury that s made
up of 10 whites whose ages range from the middle late 30s into the
middle and late 60s who were born and raised in the suburbs, and rural
farm and country areas," the letter continued. Lawyers for the
prosecution and defense completed jury selection Tuesday, and testimony
is scheduled to begin Aug. 23. Taylor and Thomas are pleading not
guilty to charges they fatally shot Frank Freund, 73, during a March
20, 2000, robbery. [more ]
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