Jury selected for Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Jury selection for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial is complete.

The long selection process came to an end Thursday, and opening arguments are scheduled for Tuesday. A jury of 12 jurors and six alternates were seated. Legal experts say the trial could be won or lost in the jury selection phase.

It was an intensive process. The courts sent out 1,500 questionnaires, and after interviewing more than 200 potential jurors, the two sides whittled them down to a pool of 69 jurors.

There is little doubt about the guilt of the defendant. What is in question is whether he will face the death penalty. The prosecution was looking for jurors most likely to impose the death penalty and the defense was looking for those more likely to spare the defendant’s life.

Each side used 20 strikes to reject jurors least likely to vote their way. The process moved quickly, but the defense challenged some of the prosecution’s strikes as discriminatory. The prosecution rejected all four eligible Black jurors, one Jewish juror and one Hispanic juror.

The government said the strikes were not based on race or religion but on each juror’s attitude toward the death penalty. Judge Robert Colville reluctantly agreed, saying the lack of diversity “certainly raises an alarm and I am profoundly disappointed this jury will not reflect the diversity of western Pennsylvania.” He went on to say the government’s case was more than adequate.

Seven men and 11 women will be on the jury, including the alternates. They are all white except for one Asian juror.