Possible Juror Bias in Taylor Death Penalty Case

Defense attorneys in East Tennessee's first federal death penalty case have requested a hearing on possible juror bias if the judge in Chattanooga rejects a defense motion for a mistrial.

Rejon Taylor was convicted earlier this month of murder during hijacking of a vehicle and murder during a kidnapping in the August 2003 fatal shooting of Atlanta restaurant owner Guy Luck in Collegedale.

The sentencing phase of Taylor's trial has been delayed to Oct. 6.

U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier has privately asked jurors about any exposure to media reports. Those reports include a prosecutor saying the black defendant in jailhouse phone calls referred to jurors as "racist rednecks."