TOLEDO (OH)
Toledo Blade
By DAVID YONKE
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Another prospective juror was dismissed this morning from the murder trial of the Rev. Gerald Robinson because of her strong feelings against the Roman Catholic Church and its clergy.
Bias for or against Catholicism was cited in 4 of the 34 dismissals over the past three days. During that time, a total of 94 people have been interviewed, with the final interview scheduled for this afternoon.
The majority of the jurors excused were over concerns for financial hardship, health problems, or family issues, but religious bias came into play in a sharp courtroom debate this morning.
One woman said she feels the Catholic Church "has gotten off too easy" in the crisis involving clerical sexual abuse of children, but that she could be impartial because this is a murder case, not a molestation case.