Another juror in the Steven Hayes trial has been dismissed.
Joann Bruno, a juror, was put on the stand after a conversation with another juror, who said some unidentified person was full of (expletive.)
Bruno said she was unaffected by the statement and did not know who the other juror made the comment about or whether it was a witness for the defense.
Judge Blue dismissed her, asked not to talk about the case and an alternate was sworn in to take over.
This development comes as Hayes’ lawyers are trying to contrast his criminal history with that of his co-defendant in an effort to spare him the death penalty.
His attorneys on Friday portrayed him as an unsophisticated criminal who would break into unoccupied cars by using a rock to smash the window.
Dr. Eric Goldsmith testified that Hayes' co-defendant, Joshua Komisarjevsky, would break into occupied homes using night-vision goggles.
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The New Haven Superior Court jury is hearing testimony before it decides whether Hayes should get a death sentence or life in prison. He was convicted of killing a Cheshire woman and her two daughters in 2007.
Komisarjevsky faces trial next year.
Prosecutors say both men are equally responsible.
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