Does a prosecutor have valid, race-neutral reasons for excusing each of the jurors in question?

Substantial evidence supports the trial court's determination that the prosecutor had valid, race-neutral reasons for excusing each of the jurors in question. As to Juror J.D., a prosecutor has a "reason to be skeptical" about a juror who has voted for acquittal while serving on another criminal jury, and the juror's description of the prior case on which she had served as one in which the defendant was "accused" of the crime supported an inference that the verdict had been not guilty. (Lewis, supra, 39 Cal.4th at p. 1014.) Similarly, sympathy toward a defendant is a valid, nondiscriminatory reason to excuse a prospective juror, and Juror J.D.'s written response to the question of whether she expected a defendant to testify suggested she was able to put herself in the appellants' shoes to a degree that caused the prosecutor concern. (People v. Stanley (2006) 39 Cal.4th 913, 939.)⁴