A lack of impartial jurors in the State of Iowa v. George W. Douglas attempted murder trial has resulted in a need for a location change. With both parties requesting different locations, the courts will decide this morning where that will be.
Douglas was arrested Dec. 5, 2024, on the charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, going armed with intent and the attempted murder of Tyler Sutton, 35, of New Virginia. Douglas originally filed a plea of not guilty to all charges, but withdrew his previous plea of not guilty for Count III – Dominion/Control of a Firearm or Offensive Weapon by a Felon – and entered a plea of guilty on Oct. 13, day one of jury trial.
According to court documents, during the voir dire process of jury selection – the process by which the court determines if a potential juror has prior knowledge of the case, is related to or employed by any of the parties in the case or has previous prejudices or opinions that would not make them impartial – it was found that the jury pool in Clarke County had knowledge about both the case and the parties involved. It was agreed upon by both parties that this would make it difficult to hold a fair trial here…