Karen Read Jury Selection

Jury selection in Karen Read’s second murder trial began on April 1. By April 10, 16 jurors had been selected-- 8 men and. 8 women. Juror selection will continue Monday in hopes of selecting two more. Twelve will take their seats on the jury, with the others sitting as alternates.

In a case generating so much pretrial publicity, it was no surprise that jury selection proved time consuming. The vast majority of persons in the jury pool acknowledged having heard of the case and a substantial number confessed to having opinions about the case to be tried.

Merely knowing about the case or even having opinions did not lead to automatic disqualification. Potential jurors could pass muster if they said during examination that their minds were not made up as to guilt or innocence and that they were willing to decide the case solely upon evidence produced in open court.

Persons who knew that the first trial had ended in a hung jury were routinely disqualified.

Among questions potential jurors were asked was whether they knew any of the witnesses scheduled to testify; what media they learned the news from; whether they had ever been involved in a car crash, whether they had any connections to a drunk-driving incident or domestic violence relationship and whether they had ever protested in support or opposition to law enforcement.