Jury selection for Bryan Kohberger trial: What both sides will likely look out for
Jury selection for Bryan Kohberger trial begins July 30th
After more than two years of hearings and motions after motions, the trial for Bryan Kohberger is expected to start this summer.
BOISE, Idaho - After more than two years of hearings and motions after motions, the trial for Bryan Kohberger is expected to start this summer. He’s accused of murdering University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle in November 2022.
What they're saying:
Both the defense and prosecution are now focusing on the all-important jury selection. FOX 13 talked with legal experts who said both sides likely have jury consultants and have already done mock trials to test how potential jurors will respond to their case.
"For me, it’s my favorite part of the case because I get a really good sense of who I’ll be together with for the impending weeks or months," said attorney Anne Bremner.
Bremner says before potential jurors set foot into the courthouse, they’ll likely fill out a lengthy questionnaire, asking them their views on law enforcement, the death penalty and if they’ve ever heard of Kohberger. From there, attorneys can question the prospective jurors in a process known as "voir dire."
"Then you start looking at two things, one is indoctrination and the other is kind of exploration," Bremner said. "Indoctrination during jury duty is when you try to hit your themes as you talk with jurors, so you’re asking them do you agree with this idea, how do you feel about this and try and get them to go your way a bit, a lot of judges won’t allow that, but it’s something you try to do."
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"One of the best things about America is our jury system," said Dr. Andrea Blount Hunter, trial consultant with Mind Matters Jury Consulting.
She told FOX 13, attorneys are not looking for a juror who has never heard of Kohberger, because that could be difficult considering the media exposure this case has received, but rather, they’re looking for a person in the middle.
"Those who have heard about it but understands there’s always two sides to a story and the best case for the defense is just someone who is willing to hear their story," Hunter said.
"One thing I do in a high profile case, I ask the jurors to write everything they heard about the case, because if they’re writing everything they know about the case they’re kind of telling me what they think about the case right?" Bremner said.
Both sides are also paying attention to demographics, as well as the personality of each prospective juror.
"Each side will be looking for different relationships people have to authority, for example, the prosecution would want law and order advocates on their side," Hunter said. "There’s probably a lot of them in Boise, Idaho, so the defense has a tougher challenge."
She adds, Kohberger’s attorneys will be looking for people who are more skeptical and don’t accept things at first glance.
There’s also another challenge that they’re mindful of.
"One of the dark horses that both sides are afraid of is the juror who really wants to be on this jury," Hunter said. "No one wants that person to slip through because it could lead to a mistrial."
The attorneys will also need to find out if a potential juror has been a victim of a crime before and if they could be susceptible to being traumatized during this trial, because there will likely be difficult crime scene photos and details that come out of it.
Jury selection is expected to begin on July 30. The trial starts on August 11.
The Source: Information in this story is from FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
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