Feruary 8 Update: The Curtis Reeves trial had another day of jury selection. On Tuesday, around 50 jurors were seen and 24 of them were released. An additional 15 jurors came in later and 3 of those were released.
The process will continue and they are forecasted to have a jury sat by the end of tomorrow.
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February 7 Update: This first day was a long one for potential jurors. More than half of the initial pool of 50 prospective jurors told the court they knew something about the case.
The wide media coverage this trial received has been a concern as far as what it would mean for seating a jury.
The judge and lawyers questioned those who said they’d heard of the case.
Five prospective jurors were dismissed because they said they already made their minds up about the case. Jury selection is expected to continue Tuesday.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
DADE CITY, Fla. — Jury selection started Monday in the case of Curtis Reeves, a retired Tampa police captain on trial for shooting and killing a man in a Pasco County movie theater in 2014.
Now 79, Reeves is accused of killing Chad Oulson, 43, after the men argued over Oulson's cell phone use before the start of a movie. According to prosecutors, Reeves shot Oulson after Oulson threw popcorn in Reeves' face.
Since then, with defense motions, delays and the pandemic, the case has taken eight years for a trial to start.
What You Need To Know
- The Curtis Reeves case faced multiple delays on the way to trial
- The pandemic, lengthy "stand your ground" proceedings, and a change in state law were among the delays
- A professor with WMU Cooley Law School says in his view, both the prosecution and defense also slowed the case down
- Jury selection is expected to begin Monday
- Follow Bay News 9 Reporter Sarah Blazonis on Twitter for updates
Reeves, who faces second-degree murder charges, could face up to life in prison.
Some legal experts said choosing a fair jury could be difficult due to how widely the case was covered by the media.
Still, the publicity the case has received and how to address it was one of the first issues Judge Susan Barthle discussed with attorneys.
She suggested that she could give the panel a few factual statements about the case to jog their memories.
She and attorneys could then talk with small groups to figure out if what they know impacts their ability to be fair and impartial jurors.
Fifty people were brought into the courtroom Monday morning. Barthle didn't ask them about the publicity.
The first 40 minutes or so focused on whether jurors knew anyone involved in the case or potential witnesses or if they had any other obligations that would keep them from serving.
Ultimately, 10 people will be seated on the panel.
Barthle said she expects jury selection to wrap up sometime Wednesday, with opening statements to follow.