Jury selection in Garrard trial held behind closed doors

Potential jurors reported amid secrecy Monday for the capital murder trial of an Etowah County woman charged in her granddaughter’s running death, with the judge refusing public access to process that typically is open.

Dozens of prospective jurors assembled at the Etowah County Courthouse for questioning by attorneys in the trial of 59 year old Joyce Hardin Garrard.

Authorities contend Garrard killed 9-year-old Savannah Hardin three years ago by making her run for hours as punishment for a lie about eating candy. The woman could receive the death penalty if convicted.

Garrard has pleaded not guilty, and her attorneys blame the child’s death on pre-existing medical problems and unspecified things that happened after her collapse. Criminal trials generally are open to the public, and the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure state that “all proceedings shall be open to the public, unless otherwise provided by law.”

Ogletree previously issued an order setting rules for media coverage of Garrard’s trial, but it makes no mention of the public being banned from jury selection.

Attorneys involved in the case cannot comment publicly because of a gag order that Ogletree imposed following Garrard’s arrest in 2012.