Nearly three years since six people were murdered in Kalamazoo County, the trial of accused killer Jason Dalton is supposed to start next week.
But first they must select a jury and that could be a problem.
“The likelihood is that it is going to be difficult to pick a jury,” says defense attorney Randall Levine of the Kalamazoo law firm Levine & Levine. “This is a high-profile case in Kalamazoo.”
The six murders in February 2016 and the arrest of Dalton dominated the news for months and even years afterward.
To put Dalton on trial, the court must find jurors who they trust will set aside what they have heard about the case and evaluate the evidence impartially.
“The test for whether they will be able to sit is can they take what they do know, set it aside and decide the case exclusively based on the evidence they hear and the instructions the court gives them,” says Levine. “If a jury can’t be seated I would expect the defense to move for a change of venue and the court might not have a choice.”
Jury selection started Thursday and is already taking longer than initially scheduled. The court says they are still eliminating prospects who say serving would be too big of a hardship. Next week lawyers will start asking questions about possible bias. If the defense and prosecution can agree on enough qualified jurors testimony could start Tuesday.
“This event rocked the community and it has taken 3 agonizing years for this case to come to trial,” says Levine. “It is all about can our system of justice provide Mr. Dalton with a fair trial. People are waiting to see how this plays out.”
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