By Grace Wong, Court TV
MORTON COUNTY, N.D. — A second day of jury selection is underway for a North Dakota chiropractor charged in a quadruple homicide that shocked the tight-knit community of Mandan, west of Bismarck.
The judge has qualified 20 jurors to advance to the final round of jury selection, when a panel of 12 jurors and 2 alternates are expected to be sworn in tomorrow. The judge is looking for a pool of 36 jurors from which to choose from, allowing each side the ability to exercise a maximum of 11 peremptory strikes.
Qualified jurors agreed to the judge’s requirement that they wear a mask and said they were not overly concerned about the space limitations in the courtroom. These prospective jurors also overcame Defense concerns about not being influenced by media coverage of the case, or the opinions of family members and co-workers. The same jurors also reassured prosecutors that they could handle graphic testimony and photos of the crime scene.
Several jurors were acquainted with potential witnesses and people connected to the trial, including one male who will graduate from the same high school class as the son of one of the victims. Those jurors gave their assurance that their familiarity with people connected to the case was superficial and would not impact their ability to be impartial.
Jury selection resumes Tuesday at 9:30 ET. Cameras are not permitted during jury selection, but Court TV is on the ground in North Dakota providing live updates and will broadcast the entire trial LIVE once a jury is selected.
A jury is expected to be selected by late afternoon, with opening statements scheduled for Wednesday morning.
