Jury for Pickton trial picked, plus 2 alternates; trial to start in January
Tuesday, December 12, 2006 | 7:24 PM ET
Canadian Press: GREG JOYCE
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CP) - The trial of accused serial killer Robert Pickton will expose jurors to evidence that is both disturbing and graphic, the trial judge says.
"I think this trial might expose the juror to something that might be as bad as a horror movie and you don't have the option of turning off the TV," Justice James Williams said Tuesday as he excused one juror during the two-day selection process.
Artist's sketch shows accused Robert Pickton as he appeared in B.C. Supreme Court for his jury selection. (CP/Artist/Jane Wolsak) It took less than two days for the legal teams to agree on 12 jurors and two alternates. If the trial proceeds on schedule they'll begin sitting Jan. 8.
The jury will sit through more than a year of testimony, evidence and arguments as Pickton, a pig farmer from Port Coquitlam, is tried on six of the 26 charges against him. He is to face another 20 counts of murder at a later trial.
All of the alleged victims are women who vanished from Vancouver's destitute and dangerous Downtown Eastside, where many of them worked in the sex trade.
Pickton, 57, sat almost motionless throughout the jury selection process. He was brought into the courtroom at the start of each session and each time made a point of bowing to the judge.
Williams spoke to the potential jurors, who appeared in groups of 30. He acknowledged that the task of being on the jury for this lengthy and complicated criminal trial won't be easy.
He took pains to make clear that not only will there be graphic evidence, some of it will involve complex science as well.
And the jury will have to sit in court day after day. Williams warned that people who have health problems, scheduled medical treatment or physical difficulty with the gruelling routine would likely be unsuitable for a year-long trial.
The judge said he'd also excuse anyone for whom being involved would cause financial hardship or employment difficulties.
"Serving on this jury will not be a holiday but will involve a great deal of hard work," Williams told the jurors before jury selection began. "At the conclusion of the trial you will be required to process a large amount of evidence and information and reach an honest verdict. Decisions must be made.
"You must be prepared to acquit or convict according to a proper assessment of the evidence and application of the law as it will be explained to you."
Prospective jurors were given a list of names of people connected with the case, either as witnesses or as investigators. Williams instructed them to let him know when they were called if they were associated with anyone on the list.
He told the lawyers that the list of witnesses, lawyers and others connected to the case is the size of the Penticton phone book.
"It's so long that I would say if you didn't know someone on there you would feel inadequate about yourself."
Among the dozen questions prospective jurors were asked was whether they know anyone who's involved in or affected by the case, whether they have any personal interest in the outcome of the case and whether they have obligations that would make it a hardship to serve on the jury.
"The task of sitting on serving as a juror on this trial will not be an easy one," Williams said. "It will entail many hours sitting in a jury box listening to evidence. It will require serious attention be paid to that evidence.
"Given the nature of the allegations against Mr. Pickton, the evidence at times will be quite graphic and distressing. At other times will be quite technical and complex concerning scientific matters such as DNA."
Ritchie also asked several questions on how much people knew about the case and whether they had information from any source other than the media.
Despite the rigorous process to screen out people who could not realistically take a year out of their lives, one man who'd been selected on Monday returned to court Tuesday and asked to be excused for financial reasons.
One woman who was called initially told the court she didn't have a reason to be excused. But she later revealed she'd have trouble finding daycare and that the evidence might be tough on her.
"It would be hard having a weak stomach," she said. "I can't watch gory movies. I have nightmares and I can't sleep."
Another woman was dismissed after a defence challenge when she told Ritchie she doesn't pay any attention to the news and didn't know who Pickton is.
Another was rejected apparently because she was a little too eager. She said she wanted to do her civic duty.
Under the Criminal Code, 12 jurors and two alternates are chosen to hear evidence in a trial. But the alternates don't stick around to hear the evidence. Once the trial starts, they are dismissed and can't be brought into the jury at a later date.
That has led defence lawyer Ritchie to wonder whether the case could be headed for a mistrial if several jurors fall ill or have to leave for some reason.
If the jury panel falls below 10 members, a mistrial is declared. In this case that would mean beginning the whole trial over again - more than five years after Pickton was first charged.
Women began disappearing from the Downtown Eastside as early as the 1980s. There have been complaints that police did not act early on because the women were prostitutes.
Pickton was arrested in February 2002 and his trial began in January 2006 with procedural arguments that were under a publication ban.
For the first trial, he is accused of killing Mona Wilson, Sereena Abotsway, Andrea Joesbury, Georgina Papin, Brenda Wolfe and Marnie Frey.
-
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CP) - The following is a list of questions asked of potential jurors by Justice James Williams and defence lawyer Peter Ritchie:
Justice James Williams
-"Is there anything about you that I should know that you think would cause me to excuse you?"
-"You're able to read and understand the English language?"
-"Have you reviewed the list of names provided to you by the sheriff?
-"Did you recognize any names on the list?"
-"Do you know anyone who's involved in the case or personally affected by the case?"
-"Do you know anyone who's provided information to the police about this case?"
-"Do you have any personal interest in the outcome of the case, how the case turns out?"
-"Do you have any obligation or commitments that would make it a hardship to be on this jury, family or otherwise?"
-"Would service on this jury impose an unacceptable financial burden?"
-"Are there any personal reasons that you would find it difficult to be on this jury? For example I made mention earlier that some of the evidence would be graphic, is that a problem for you."
-"When I asked you that, I indicated earlier that some of the evidence is quite graphic, do you think you could deal with that?"
-"Do you have any health issues, physical, mental or emotional that will interfere with your ability to sit on this jury?"
Defence lawyer Peter Ritchie
-"The case has been subject to a great deal of media attention and my questions relate to that:
-"To what extent have you heard about this case, about Mr. Pickton in the media?"
-"Have you obtained any other information about this case, or about our client, Mr. Pickton, from any other sources other than the media?"
-"Have you formed an opinion about if Mr. Pickton is guilty or not guilty?"
Canadian Press: GREG JOYCE
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CP) - The trial of accused serial killer Robert Pickton will expose jurors to evidence that is both disturbing and graphic, the trial judge says.
"I think this trial might expose the juror to something that might be as bad as a horror movie and you don't have the option of turning off the TV," Justice James Williams said Tuesday as he excused one juror during the two-day selection process.
Artist's sketch shows accused Robert Pickton as he appeared in B.C. Supreme Court for his jury selection. (CP/Artist/Jane Wolsak) It took less than two days for the legal teams to agree on 12 jurors and two alternates. If the trial proceeds on schedule they'll begin sitting Jan. 8.
The jury will sit through more than a year of testimony, evidence and arguments as Pickton, a pig farmer from Port Coquitlam, is tried on six of the 26 charges against him. He is to face another 20 counts of murder at a later trial.
All of the alleged victims are women who vanished from Vancouver's destitute and dangerous Downtown Eastside, where many of them worked in the sex trade.
Pickton, 57, sat almost motionless throughout the jury selection process. He was brought into the courtroom at the start of each session and each time made a point of bowing to the judge.
Williams spoke to the potential jurors, who appeared in groups of 30. He acknowledged that the task of being on the jury for this lengthy and complicated criminal trial won't be easy.
He took pains to make clear that not only will there be graphic evidence, some of it will involve complex science as well.
And the jury will have to sit in court day after day. Williams warned that people who have health problems, scheduled medical treatment or physical difficulty with the gruelling routine would likely be unsuitable for a year-long trial.
The judge said he'd also excuse anyone for whom being involved would cause financial hardship or employment difficulties.
"Serving on this jury will not be a holiday but will involve a great deal of hard work," Williams told the jurors before jury selection began. "At the conclusion of the trial you will be required to process a large amount of evidence and information and reach an honest verdict. Decisions must be made.
"You must be prepared to acquit or convict according to a proper assessment of the evidence and application of the law as it will be explained to you."
Prospective jurors were given a list of names of people connected with the case, either as witnesses or as investigators. Williams instructed them to let him know when they were called if they were associated with anyone on the list.
He told the lawyers that the list of witnesses, lawyers and others connected to the case is the size of the Penticton phone book.
"It's so long that I would say if you didn't know someone on there you would feel inadequate about yourself."
Among the dozen questions prospective jurors were asked was whether they know anyone who's involved in or affected by the case, whether they have any personal interest in the outcome of the case and whether they have obligations that would make it a hardship to serve on the jury.
"The task of sitting on serving as a juror on this trial will not be an easy one," Williams said. "It will entail many hours sitting in a jury box listening to evidence. It will require serious attention be paid to that evidence.
"Given the nature of the allegations against Mr. Pickton, the evidence at times will be quite graphic and distressing. At other times will be quite technical and complex concerning scientific matters such as DNA."
Ritchie also asked several questions on how much people knew about the case and whether they had information from any source other than the media.
Despite the rigorous process to screen out people who could not realistically take a year out of their lives, one man who'd been selected on Monday returned to court Tuesday and asked to be excused for financial reasons.
One woman who was called initially told the court she didn't have a reason to be excused. But she later revealed she'd have trouble finding daycare and that the evidence might be tough on her.
"It would be hard having a weak stomach," she said. "I can't watch gory movies. I have nightmares and I can't sleep."
Another woman was dismissed after a defence challenge when she told Ritchie she doesn't pay any attention to the news and didn't know who Pickton is.
Another was rejected apparently because she was a little too eager. She said she wanted to do her civic duty.
Under the Criminal Code, 12 jurors and two alternates are chosen to hear evidence in a trial. But the alternates don't stick around to hear the evidence. Once the trial starts, they are dismissed and can't be brought into the jury at a later date.
That has led defence lawyer Ritchie to wonder whether the case could be headed for a mistrial if several jurors fall ill or have to leave for some reason.
If the jury panel falls below 10 members, a mistrial is declared. In this case that would mean beginning the whole trial over again - more than five years after Pickton was first charged.
Women began disappearing from the Downtown Eastside as early as the 1980s. There have been complaints that police did not act early on because the women were prostitutes.
Pickton was arrested in February 2002 and his trial began in January 2006 with procedural arguments that were under a publication ban.
For the first trial, he is accused of killing Mona Wilson, Sereena Abotsway, Andrea Joesbury, Georgina Papin, Brenda Wolfe and Marnie Frey.
-
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CP) - The following is a list of questions asked of potential jurors by Justice James Williams and defence lawyer Peter Ritchie:
Justice James Williams
-"Is there anything about you that I should know that you think would cause me to excuse you?"
-"You're able to read and understand the English language?"
-"Have you reviewed the list of names provided to you by the sheriff?
-"Did you recognize any names on the list?"
-"Do you know anyone who's involved in the case or personally affected by the case?"
-"Do you know anyone who's provided information to the police about this case?"
-"Do you have any personal interest in the outcome of the case, how the case turns out?"
-"Do you have any obligation or commitments that would make it a hardship to be on this jury, family or otherwise?"
-"Would service on this jury impose an unacceptable financial burden?"
-"Are there any personal reasons that you would find it difficult to be on this jury? For example I made mention earlier that some of the evidence would be graphic, is that a problem for you."
-"When I asked you that, I indicated earlier that some of the evidence is quite graphic, do you think you could deal with that?"
-"Do you have any health issues, physical, mental or emotional that will interfere with your ability to sit on this jury?"
Defence lawyer Peter Ritchie
-"The case has been subject to a great deal of media attention and my questions relate to that:
-"To what extent have you heard about this case, about Mr. Pickton in the media?"
-"Have you obtained any other information about this case, or about our client, Mr. Pickton, from any other sources other than the media?"
-"Have you formed an opinion about if Mr. Pickton is guilty or not guilty?"
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