An appellate attorney retained by convicted murderer Sheldon Jeter Jr. squared off against prosecutors in court on Friday. The defense team wants a judge to order a hearing allowing them to further explore their allegations of juror misconduct during Jeter’s June trial for the killing of Tyric Pugh.
Prosecutors insist the defense’s claims do not provide a legal basis for a new trial and that further proceedings would amount to nothing more than juror harassment.
BeaverCountian.com was the only media outlet in the courtroom to observe legal arguments that will shape Jeter’s future post-conviction proceedings in county and appellate courts. Both sides acknowledge the issues at hand have a potential of lingering in the system for years.
Appellate attorney Corrie Woods told judge Kim Tesla that too many unanswered questions remain about Juror #3 and that justice demands answers for Jeter’s guilty verdict to be trusted.
