Attorneys seek delay in St. Louis death penalty case due to jurors’ positive COVID-19 tests

Attorneys are hoping to get a delay in a St. Louis criminal case after multiple jurors tested positive for the coronavirus.

Jury selection began a week ago for a death penalty case against Eric Lawson, who is accused of killing three people, The Associated Press reported on Friday.

Lawson’s attorneys are asking the Missouri Supreme Court to delay the trial after Circuit Judge Michael Noble denied their continuance request on Wednesday.

Lawson is accused of shooting and killing Breiana Ray and Gwendolyn Ray in 2012 and then starting two fires that killed his 10-month-old son and critically injured Breiana Ray’s 3-year-old daughter.

There were two positive COVID-19 cases among the 39 jurors, according to AP.

“Mr. Lawson and his attorneys have been exposed to COVID-19 in the past 10 days,” the court motion to the state’s Supreme Court says. “So have the judge, the prosecutors, courthouse staff, and prospective jurors.”

One lawyer is pregnant and an expert witness has preexisting health conditions, the filing states. Both are medical issues that health officials say make a person more vulnerable to COVID-19.

All attorneys and trial staff are fully vaccinated while Lawson has one dose of the vaccine and is preparing to get his second shot, Republican state Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Assistant Attorney General Gregory Goodwin said in response.

This is the third time Lawson’s lawyers attempted to get a continuance request to delay the trial due to the coronavirus, the AP reported.

“This Court’s extraordinary intervention is not warranted because Petitioner Eric Lawson has understated the trial court’s protective measures, because none of Lawson’s rights are violated by Respondent’s procedures, and because this Court cannot practically delay an in-progress capital case for a ‘two-week continuance,’” Schmitt and Goodwin’s response says.