BATON ROUGE, La. -- A juror has been released from the trial of alleged serial killer Sean Vincent Gillis.

WAFB-TV

A State District judge ruled Gillis had enough money for his lawyers to hire defense experts for the trial.

The woman said a prosecution witness mentioned in prosecutor Prem Burns' opening statement is her husband's first cousin.

Defense attorney Kerry Cuccia objected to her remaining on the jury and Judge Bonnie Jackson replaced her with the only alternate, also a woman.

Burns said outside of court that it's not comfortable to be without alternates.

Cuccia told the judge that granting his request for a trial outside East Baton Rouge Parish would have avoided the problem.

In her opening statement, Burns said Gillis planned to kill Donna Bennett Johnston before he picked her up as a street

prostitute.

In his, Cuccia said evidence that Johnston's body was mutilated is not evidence of first-degree murder.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)