Potential jurors selected for the first trial around 6th of January attacks on the United States Capitol became emotional in court on Monday after being questioned about the day’s events, raising concerns about their reliability in the historic case.
“I felt like an attack on my home. It was a very scary time,” a potential juror said in a trembling voice to DC court on Monday after being selected along with 33 others to preside over the case of 48-year-old Capitol rebel accused Guy Refit.
Noting how emotional the juror appeared in the courtroom, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich apologized to the candidate, saying he “starts from a place where he feels so clear, visibly affected by the events.”
The future juror was one of nine fired by Friedrich on Monday after showing strong feelings for the Capitol attackers.
Meanwhile, 24 others – some who said they followed the coverage of the riots in the news and had strong political views on the case – made the cuts, including a lobbyist who boasts ties to Congress.
Refit’s case is the first of more than 700 defendants to stand trial in the coming weeks.
The photo shows a sketch from the courtroom from Monday’s hearing, where potential jurors were questioned about the case of accused Guy Refit (pictured right, a sketch without the mask). One candidate became emotional when he told Judge Dabney Friedrich about the riots: “I had the feeling that this was an attack on my home … It was a very scary time” before he was fired.
The situation comes when 54-year-old Friedrich claims that jurors who have been exposed to news since January 6 or had a strong opinion about the attacks will not be thrown out of the pool immediately.
During the federal proceedings, Refit, who faces up to 20 years in prison for storming the building and bringing a gun with him to the Capitol terrace, sat in silence with his legal team.
The father in Texas was in the headlines last year after he was accused of threatening to kill his teenage son after he told police about his alleged role in the attacks.
Friedrich questioned potential jurors in detail on Monday about their knowledge of the defendant’s case, as well as their use of media coverage of the attack and their ability to impartially handle the important case.
Potential jurors selected for the trial, the first around the January 6 attacks on the US Capitol (pictured), became emotional in court on Monday after being questioned about the day’s events, raising concerns about their reliability in the historic case
Several survivors of the judge’s first dismissal, scheduled to return to court on Tuesday, said they had followed the news of the riots and had strong political views on the case, but would be able to look at the evidence impartially.
Almost all said they had never heard of Refit, who faces five criminal charges for his alleged involvement in the protests.
A future juror who meets Friedrich’s criteria for the first cut is identified in court as a lobbyist with close ties to an incumbent member of Congress.
Earlier as a page in Congress, the juror said he was still in touch with his unidentified former boss and that he had toured the Capitol during his time as a congressional aide.
“I have great respect for the building,” he told the judge Monday, staying by the pool.
During the trial, defendant Guy Refit (left without a mask), who faces up to 20 years in prison for storming and bringing a gun to the Capitol, sat in silence with his team of lawyers. Before Monday, Reffitt’s lawyer expressed concerns about the jury’s ability to be impartial.
Several future jurors spoke passionately about their fear during the attack – and their aversion to its perpetrators.
“Everyone who went in there is already guilty,” said a man who was kicked out of the pool. “They must be persecuted as much as possible.”
Others have stated emphatically that they cannot be impartial about Refit.
A man who did not remain on the jury described to the court how he dared to head to the Capitol amid reports of a January 6 party.
“I saw it on the news,” the DC resident explained. “And it was so close to my apartment that I wanted to see what was going on.”
Judge Friedrich, 54, fired nine jurors during Monday’s hearing for expressing strong feelings for the Capitol attackers. However, the judge allowed 24 others who said they had strong political views on the case until the next round of layoffs, scheduled for Tuesday.
One woman, who was also fired, said she worked at the Library of Congress, where she was stationed at the time of the attack, and described how some of her fellow employees were evacuated from the office and others working from a home near the Capitol that day. .
Another potential juror who made it to the second round spoke in a similar way about how he followed the news after the attack.
“I live in this city. I wanted to know what happened, “said the juror.
Only a few of the future candidates said they had not followed the news of the January 6 attacks.
Photos like this from January 6 show Guy Refit wearing a helmet with a camera attached to the front while allegedly storming the Capitol. He faces up to 20 years in prison for his alleged involvement in the attack and bringing a gun with him to the Capitol terrace
Refit, a member of the far-right anti-government organization The Texas Three-Percenters, is also seen in the images, wearing a blue jacket and what appears to be a bulletproof vest. His case is the first of more than 700 indictees to stand trial in the coming weeks
Another told the court that he deliberately made every effort not to be ready for it because he had seen in studies that “not paying attention to the news increases happiness.”
Following Monday’s proceedings, the process of appointing jurors in the case is more than half complete, with prosecutors due to make their opening statement on Tuesday.
The situation highlights concerns that some of the more than 700 federal defendants – who invaded and entered the historic site in an attempt to prevent lawmakers from attesting to Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election – have justice in the scheduled court proceedings.
Ahead of Monday’s hearing, Refit’s lawyer expressed concerns about the future jury’s ability to be impartial.
According to an affidavit from Dallas News, Refitt told his family that he had gone to Washington, D.C., to “defend the country,” that he had brought a gun with him, and that he had “stormed the Capitol.”
However, despite these calls, it appears that after Monday’s trial, the court will be able to gather enough jurors this week.
Rephite, a member of Texas-based right-wing anti-government group Three Percent, is accused of taking a gun to the Capitol, interfering with two police officers outside the building and threatening his children when he returned home.
He is challenging five counts of serious crime during the trial this week.
Photographs taken on January 6 near the Capitol show Refit wearing a helmet with a camera attached to the front. He is also seen in the images, wearing a blue jacket and something that looks like a bulletproof vest.
Vice News reported that he allegedly attacked police officers with such force that they had to fire shells and use pepper spray to detain him.
The 48-year-old Refit made headlines in late January after his arrest after he was accused of threatening to kill his teenage son Jackson (pictured) for calling police
He then threatened his own wife and children, telling them he would shoot them if they turned him over to the authorities. However, he was later arrested after his son Jackson, 19, contacted FBI.
According to court documents, he told his family: “If you betray me, you are a traitor and you know what happens to traitors … Traitors are shot.”
FBI agents found an AR-15 rifle and a handgun during a search of Refit’s home, according to sworn statements.
After betraying his father, Jackson was forced to leave his family home and no longer spoke to his mother, Nicole, and their two sisters, Peyton, 18, and Sarah, 24.
The FBI made more than 740 arrests in connection with the January 6 uprising, during which hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump tried to block Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory in November 2020.
The main charge he faces is obstruction of official proceedings, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and awaits trial. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
In May, prosecutors added new evidence to their case against Reffitt, in the form of a January 10 Zoom meeting between Reffitt and two other three percent.
In the video, Refit claims that he helped lead the Capitol attack with a .40-caliber pistol next to him, at one point telling a U.S. Capitol police officer who fired non-lethal bullets at him: “I’m sorry, darling. You’d better get a bigger damn gun, “ProPublica reported.
Refitt’s case is set to begin as soon as the jury’s election is over this week.
