Lawyers narrow jury pool for Jimmy Spencer’s capital murder case

MARSHALL Co., Ala. (WAFF) – Prosecutors and the defense team for a man accused of killing three people in Guntersville in 2018 are taking their time to select a jury as they enter the second day of jury selection.

Jimmy O’Neill Spencer is accused of murdering three people in Guntersville in July 2018, Martha Reliford, 65, Marie Kitchens Martin, 74, and Martin’s seven-year-old grandson, Colton Ryan Lee.

Jury selection began Monday and will continue through Tuesday morning.

On Monday, 140 people showed up for jury duty, now attorneys must whittle that number down to 12 and several alternates.

Several people were already pardoned on Monday, but the process is far from over. The courtroom was so packed with potential jurors, authorities say there was not enough room for reporters to watch the proceedings.

A judge ruled Monday that prosecutors would be allowed to seek the death penalty for Spencer, despite his extremely low IQ.

Jury selection will begin Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. and will likely continue through Wednesday.

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