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Judge Won’t Stop Defendant From Coloring at Murder Trial
A Florida judge ruled that the convicted sex offender accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and murdering nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford has the right to continue coloring in children’s book during his murder trial, despite arguments that the behavior could influence the jury.
During the jury selection for his trial, 48-year-old John Evander Couey made drawings and colored most of the time—behavior that prosecutors argue could sway jurors because the defendant’s lawyers claim he suffers from retardation and mental illness.
Prosecutors asked Judge Richard Howard to stop Couey from having anything other than a pencil and pen like the rest of the people present, but Howard refused to prohibit the actions.
“He’s not acted up. The guards have seen him doing this all the time. The man is on trial for his life. If this calms him down, the coloring is not troublesome,” Judge Howard said in his ruling.
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