Judge denies defense request for a panel from another county

Staff Writer

rseaborn@pickenssentinel.com

PICKENS COUNTY - The man charged with the murder of Clemson student Tiffany Souers will face a Pickens County jury in September.

Circuit Court Judge Ned Miller ruled Thursday that defense attorneys failed to prove insurmountable prejudice on behalf of potential local jurors.

Attorneys representing Jerry Buck Inman, alleged to have strangled Souers to death May 25, 2006 in her Central apartment, argued that extensive media coverage of the crime had tainted the possibility of selecting an impartial jury panel.

The attorneys requested that the location of the trial be changed to another circuit or a jury panel be chosen from another county.

Results of a survey prove the difficulty court officials would have in pulling an impartial jury, said Jim Bannister, one of Inman's four attorneys.

The survey, conducted by The Felkel Group, polled 500 residents of Pickens County and another 500 people in Greenville County if they had "ever read, heard, seen or discussed the criminal charges against" Inman.

A summary of the survey shows that 61 percent of the people polled in Greenville County had knowledge of the charges against Inman while 66 percent has not drawn a conclusion of guilt or innocence, Bannister said.

In addition, 61 percent of Pickens County residents responding to the survey admitted to having knowledge of the crime with 62 percent saying they had not formed an opinion, he said.

An Internet Google search of Tiffany Souers showed almost 43,000 hits on her name, Bannister said.

Thirteenth Circuit Deputy Solicitor Betty Strom argued that impartial juries were seated on several other local cases that were heavily covered by the media, including the murder of Greenville Police Officer Russ Sorrow and area businessman Jim Cockman.

"The State's position is that evidence presented today is inadequate to propose a change of venue," Strom said. "In these other high profile cases, we were able to seat a fair and impartial jury.

"Having knowledge of the crime does not disqualify a juror," she said.

Before handing down his ruling, Circuit Court Judge Ned Miller asked the defense for additional proof behind their concerns over finding a potential impartial jury.

"You say that all the pervasive media coverage should lead to a move to another county," he said. "But you've got to do more than just say it."

Miller also said that the survey results of Thirteenth Circuit residents played an insignificant role in determining the possibility of impartial jurors.

"All it is is a survey," Miller said. "If you just went with surveys, you'd never have an election."

Miller also told both the prosecution and defense teams that they should meet to determine which questions should be listed on a jury questionnaire.

"We just need to get this done as soon as possible," he said.