Post by Anja on Aug 14, 2006 3:51:26 GMT -5
1st Stage of Jury Selection Complete
The judge in the case of a slain University of North Dakota student is
promising to keep close tabs on jurors in the trial of Alfonso Rodriguez
Jr.
Lawyers were whittling down names for the final panel after the 70th
potential juror was added to the pool Thursday morning. Opening statements
are scheduled Monday.
U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson said the 12 jurors and 4 alternates
will not be allowed to leave the courthouse during the day. He said he
will monitor the group for any signs of jury tampering or discussions of
the case outside the courtroom, including "wives that say boo or husbands
that say boo."
"If that happens, I will sequester this jury," Erickson declared. He also
said that if necessary, he would "not hesitate to call a mistrial and
start over."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Reisenauer is expected to give the opening
statement for prosecutors, followed by remarks by defense attorney Robert
Hoy. Both men are expected to speak for about one hour.
Erickson said he expects the government to begin its testimony on Monday
with 1 or 2 witnesses "to sort of break the ice."
Rodriguez, 53, a convicted sex offender from Crookston, Minn., is charged
with kidnapping resulting in the death of Dru Sjodin. He has pleaded not
guilty. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if he's
convicted.
Sjodin, 22, of Pequot Lakes, Minn., disappeared from a Grand Forks
shopping mall in November 2003. Her body was found the following April in
a ravine near Crookston, where Rodriguez was living with his mother.
Sjodin's father, Allen, and her mother, Linda Walker, declined to comment
outside the federal courthouse on Thursday.
Erickson approved the 70th potential juror, a man who works nights at a
Fargo retail store, after dismissing the first candidate of the day
because of economic hardship. The final selection of the 12 jurors and 4
alternates was being done in private.
Defense attorneys are allowed to disqualify 30 potential jurors, 10 more
than the government. Erickson said he made that change to help "level the
playing field" because of pretrial publicity.
Jury selection is the "least scientific part of the trial," said Joseph
Daly, a law professor at Hamline University in St. Paul.
"Truth be told, it's a matter of getting a sense of the person," Daly
said. "Once you get to the preemptory challenges, it goes fast because the
lawyers already have a jury profile."
The 12-member panel is being selected from the first 62 potential jurors
who were advanced into the pool. The 4 alternates will come from the final
8 candidates. The list of names will not be made public, Erickson said.
"I think we have a jury that can try this case," the judge said.
(source: KSTP.com, Minn.)
The judge in the case of a slain University of North Dakota student is
promising to keep close tabs on jurors in the trial of Alfonso Rodriguez
Jr.
Lawyers were whittling down names for the final panel after the 70th
potential juror was added to the pool Thursday morning. Opening statements
are scheduled Monday.
U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson said the 12 jurors and 4 alternates
will not be allowed to leave the courthouse during the day. He said he
will monitor the group for any signs of jury tampering or discussions of
the case outside the courtroom, including "wives that say boo or husbands
that say boo."
"If that happens, I will sequester this jury," Erickson declared. He also
said that if necessary, he would "not hesitate to call a mistrial and
start over."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Reisenauer is expected to give the opening
statement for prosecutors, followed by remarks by defense attorney Robert
Hoy. Both men are expected to speak for about one hour.
Erickson said he expects the government to begin its testimony on Monday
with 1 or 2 witnesses "to sort of break the ice."
Rodriguez, 53, a convicted sex offender from Crookston, Minn., is charged
with kidnapping resulting in the death of Dru Sjodin. He has pleaded not
guilty. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if he's
convicted.
Sjodin, 22, of Pequot Lakes, Minn., disappeared from a Grand Forks
shopping mall in November 2003. Her body was found the following April in
a ravine near Crookston, where Rodriguez was living with his mother.
Sjodin's father, Allen, and her mother, Linda Walker, declined to comment
outside the federal courthouse on Thursday.
Erickson approved the 70th potential juror, a man who works nights at a
Fargo retail store, after dismissing the first candidate of the day
because of economic hardship. The final selection of the 12 jurors and 4
alternates was being done in private.
Defense attorneys are allowed to disqualify 30 potential jurors, 10 more
than the government. Erickson said he made that change to help "level the
playing field" because of pretrial publicity.
Jury selection is the "least scientific part of the trial," said Joseph
Daly, a law professor at Hamline University in St. Paul.
"Truth be told, it's a matter of getting a sense of the person," Daly
said. "Once you get to the preemptory challenges, it goes fast because the
lawyers already have a jury profile."
The 12-member panel is being selected from the first 62 potential jurors
who were advanced into the pool. The 4 alternates will come from the final
8 candidates. The list of names will not be made public, Erickson said.
"I think we have a jury that can try this case," the judge said.
(source: KSTP.com, Minn.)