The Hidden Jury

The jurors’ identities were protected during the trial, their faces hidden behind a wall in front of the jury box. Here’s the courtroom layout and general descriptions of who the jurors are:

7 MEN AND 5 WOMEN ON THE PANEL

Juror profiles, based on jury-selection answers:

1. A grandmother who said she watched some of the television coverage of the bombing, crying and praying for victims. She remembered seeing McVeigh being escorted out of jail in an orange jumpsuit. “I felt very sorry for him ... for such a young man to waste his life.”

2. A woman who teaches learning-disabled children and said she is a “soft touch” for children and favors rehabilitation for offenders. She said during jury selection that McVeigh “looks like a nice kid.”

3. A transit agency landscaper who said he is a sports fan and doesn’t follow the news. He said he was moved by the plight of the children in the bombing. “It’s kind of hard to take when you see children die.”

4. A retired Sears employee who interrupted the judge during questioning to offer her opinions about the death penalty--she’s in favor of its limited use.

5. A Vietnam veteran and former appliance salesman who is working in real estate. He said he could set aside his feelings about the war to sit on the jury.

6. A computer technician said he gave both clothing and food to the bombing relief effort as part of his company’s effort. He said he believed McVeigh was “a likely suspect, yes. That he’s guilty or not guilty, no.”

7. A registered nurse with three daughters was worried about serving on the jury because her employer, a non-profit agency, would not pay her salary.

8. A married maintenance worker for a grocery store chain who said he reads the Bible once a week. He remembered some details of the bombing, including McVeigh’s escort from the jail and the Ryder truck.

9. A government housing property manager who said society believes that the death penalty is acceptable punishment for some offenses. He said he wasn’t sure that accomplices are acceptable witnesses.

10. A young restaurant employee who graduated from college and once worked in a stockbroker’s office. She said she followed news of the bombing and rescue effort. She said she “could live with herself” if she had to impose her death penalty.

11. An engineer who is the son of a career Air Force man and was born in the Netherlands. He attended college in Arizona and Wyoming. He said the death penalty is acceptable in some instances.

12. A computer programmer who works on contract with the Air Force and is a retired Air Force veteran. He said the death penalty is “a viable means of punishment for certain crimes. It should not be rendered lightly.”

Sources: Rocky Mountain News, Associated Press