Alternate juror in Edwards trial releases questionnaire

Melinda Deslatte

Friday, Nov. 3, 2000 | 9:17 a.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. - An alternate juror during the corruption trial of former Gov. Edwin Edwards and Insurance Commissioner Jim Brown on Thursday became the first of the anonymous group to publicly release her pre-trial questionnaire.

The questions answered by Juror 250 offered little insight into the trial, since the 34-year-old black woman ultimately had no say in the verdict. Alternate jurors do not participate in deliberations.

But in response to the question, "If, as a juror, you determine that the government has proven a defendant guilty of a charged offense beyond a reasonable doubt, would you be able to vote in favor of a guilty verdict?" she said no.

Juror 250 is a divorced security guard from Jackson, La., with three children.

She said she rarely followed Louisiana politics and knew little of Edwards' previous conviction on racketeering charges stemming from the licensing of riverboat casinos.

"I am not a news person," she wrote.

The alternate said she had no opinion on the legality of wiretap recordings, which were key evidence in the trial and said she had little knowledge of the case on which she would become a juror.

"I remember something about taking money and bugging someone's home," she wrote.

U.S. District Judge Edith Brown Clement said she empaneled an anonymous jury to protect the citizens who served from possible tampering or harassment. After the trial ended last month, Clement said any juror wishing to release his answers to the pre-trial questionnaire could do so.

Edwards, Brown and Shreveport attorney Ron Weems were found innocent Oct. 11 on 43 charges of mail, insurance and wire fraud, conspiracy and witness tampering. Brown was convicted of seven counts of lying to federal authorities. Brown's sentencing is set for Jan. 31.

Edwards will be sentenced in the riverboat case on Dec. 6.