Defendant Reinaldo Rivera, right, talks with paralegal Carmela Martin during jury qualification for his death penalty case in Richmond County Superior Court at the Municipal Building on Tuesday, January 6, 2003. Andrew Davis Tucker/Staff

Juror is excused from Rivera trial

Even with the dozens, if not hundreds, of media reports about the Reinaldo Rivera homicide cases, only one potential juror out of 38 said the reports convinced her Mr. Rivera is guilty.

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Judge Albert M. Pickett gives instructions to a juror during jury qualification in the death penalty case of defendant Reinaldo Rivera in Richmond County Superior Court at the Municipal Building on Tuesday, January 6, 2003. Andrew Davis Tucker/Staff

Mr. Rivera, 40, has pleaded innocent in Richmond County Superior Court to 14 charges in the sexual assaults of three women.

He faces a capital murder trial because one of those women, Army Sgt. Marni Glista, 21, was strangled to death.

All jurors are undergoing individual questioning this week about any fixed opinion they may have of Mr. Rivera's guilt or innocence and about their ability to consider all three possible punishments if Mr. Rivera is convicted of murder - life in prison with or without the possibility of parole, or death.

As of Tuesday night, just one potential juror had been excused because she is convinced Mr. Rivera is guilty.

"Experience shows that people are reluctant to form fixed opinions because of what they read or hear (in media reports)," District Attorney Danny Craig said Tuesday evening.

Almost every one of the 38 potential jurors questioned so far recalled reading or hearing news reports in October 2000 about the series of rapes and killings Mr. Rivera is accused of committing.

Several said they had formed opinions or developed impressions about Mr. Rivera because of that, but all but one said they could put that aside and base their verdicts only on the evidence presented in court.

Mr. Rivera's defense attorneys, Peter Johnson and Jacque Hawk, said Tuesday night that they believe the time gap between the initial news reports and Mr. Rivera's trial this month could be responsible for the neutrality of so many potential jurors.

Nearly 3 1/2 years ago, Mr. Rivera's name was common knowledge in the Augusta area when investigators on both sides of the Savannah River announced his arrest after a near-fatal attack of an Augusta teenager Oct. 10, 2000.

In addition to that case and the slaying of Sgt. Glista, Mr. Rivera faces charges of rape and murder in the deaths of Melissa Dingess, 17, on July 17, 1999, in Aiken County; Tiffaney S. Wilson, 17, on Dec. 4, 1999; and Tabitha L. Bosdell, 17, on June 22, 2000.

Jury selection continues throughout the week. The final selection process in which attorneys whittle the panel down to 12 jurors and four alternates is expected to take place Monday or Tuesday.

Reach Sandy Hodson at (706) 823-3226 or sandy.hodson@augustachronicle.com.

--From the Wednesday, January 7, 2004 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle