LAWRENCE CO.—Here’s your newsblast to keep you updated on the latest development in the McQueen trial; looks like we’ll get a long-weekend break:
Lawrence County State’s Attorney Chris Quick, left, takes a brief moment with Judge Robert Hopkins to look over a document, more than likely a list of prospective jurors, outside the courtroom during jury selection Monday.
Disclosure NewsMagazine/DisclosureNewsOnline Thursday, April 25, 2013 morning news blast coverage of the murder trial of Tyler McQueen.
Sources close to the case have confirmed that the much anticipated beginning of the trial will have to wait another three days.
Disclosure was told that attorneys Chris Quick and Mike Vujovich for the prosecution and defense attorney Matt Vaughn have agreed to select the remaining three alternate juror today and then recess until Monday morning at which time opening arguments will take place and testimony will begin.
Jury selection has not been an easy task for either side with both McQueen and the victim in the case 78-year-old Robert Westall being fairly well known in the community.
The first panel of prospective jurors on Monday appeared to be suffering from what some jury selection watchers call “Herd Mentality” in which those not really wanting to be on the jury could hear and then mimic the response from others who were excused.
Judge Robert Hopkins and attorneys then switched the questioning process to focus one prospective juror at a time which, although it created a space issue when it came to keeping one panel of prospective jurors and hold overs from the day before separate, arguably sped things up considerably.
At the end of yesterday’s questioning 12 jurors and one alternate had been selected leaving three alternates to be chosen today.
Sources indicate that the usual two alternates have been bumped to four due to the complexity of the case and out of concern for rising flood waters and what effect, if any, it may have on jurors ability to get to the courthouse.
“It is merely out of an over abundance of caution,” said one source.
McQueen, 21, is charged with three counts of first degree murder in the March 24, 2012 stabbing death Westall in Westall’s sisters apartment in United Methodist Village in Lawrenceville.
Again, sources have confirmed that the jury selection will wrap up today but that opening arguments and testimony in the Tyler McQueen murder trial will not begin until Monday morning.
Keep checking this page and our website for the latest updates and further coverage.
This has been Jack Howser with a Disclosure NewsMagazine/Disclosure NewsOnline Newsblast.
McQueen murder trial set to recess today with testimony beginning Monday