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Jury Selection Begins in Trial of Teen Accused of Stabbing Marcelo Lucero

Posted March 2, 2010 by Ted Hesson

Jury selection in the trial of Jeffrey Conroy—accused of stabbing and killing Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero—began this morning in Riverhead.

Judge Robert W. Doyle paraded roughly 130 people into the courtroom for this morning’s jury selection, filling up all of the seats and the jury box, and still leaving people standing.

Among the information that Doyle gave prospective jurors was the news that the trial might last between six and eight weeks, with the potential for a sequestered jury during deliberations.

Doyle asked the prospective jurors whether or not media accounts of the alleged murder would render them unable to judge the defendant fairly. For those that had read articles about the murder, or seen TV reporting, Doyle said, “You shouldn’t care what some Newsday reporter thinks about this case, or what someone else in the media thinks about this case.”

Of the 130 or so jurors that entered the courtroom, approximately 100 remain, with selection set to continue after lunch at 2pm. So far, Doyle has been asking potential jurors about their fitness for jury duty, questioning about family obligations, upcoming vacations (to Europe, not Montauk), and whether they can remain impartial for various reasons.

I’ll have another update when today’s selection ends.

Tags : hate crimes, jeffrey conroy, marcelo lucero

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