Eleven jurors seated in first day of Wlasiuk retrial
NORWICH – Of the 16 jurors needed for Peter M. Wlasiuk’s murder retrial, 11 were seated during the first day of jury selection Tuesday.
Jury selection continued this morning at the Chenango County Courthouse. Wlasiuk, 37, is charged with second degree murder in the April 2002 slaying of his wife, Patricia, in Oxford.
The court will select five more jurors from the 150 scheduled to appear today. A total of 12 jurors and four alternates are needed in order to fill the panel.
Only 87 of the 150 requested jurors appeared on Tuesday, many deferring their notices via Internet or phone, Court Clerk Catherine A. Schell reported. Of those who appeared, 24 were excused for personal hardship and then 34 of the remaining 63 said they could not overcome their personal prejudices. The judge asked the panel who among them had not heard of the Wlasiuk case prior to being summoned, and only four raised their hands.
Out of the remaining 29 eligible jurors, 11 were selected after being interviewed by the court and both attorneys.
Broome County Court Judge Martin E. Smith has been handling the case since Chenango County Court Judge W. Howard Sullivan recused himself following Wlasiuk’s appeal in August, 2006.
Smith told jurors to expect a lengthy trial that could take between three to four weeks. Smith said that a list of more than 150 potential witnesses was submitted to the court.
Those selected Tuesday were told to report back to the court Thursday morning to begin the trial.
Defense Attorney Randel Scharf indicated that the defense would portray the death of Patricia as a possible suicide. Scharf also said he was concerned over the first trial’s guilty verdict and asked each juror about their knowledge of the case.
The case began yesterday just five days after the New York Appellate Division denied a defense motion to move it to a different county.
Wlasiuk was originally arrested on April 8, 2002. He first claimed that his wife, Patricia, had drown in a truck accident at Guilford Lake. He was later found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life on Jan. 3, 2003. Police contended that Wlasiuk staged the accident at Guilford Lake after killing his wife in Oxford.
Jury selection continued this morning at the Chenango County Courthouse. Wlasiuk, 37, is charged with second degree murder in the April 2002 slaying of his wife, Patricia, in Oxford.
The court will select five more jurors from the 150 scheduled to appear today. A total of 12 jurors and four alternates are needed in order to fill the panel.
Only 87 of the 150 requested jurors appeared on Tuesday, many deferring their notices via Internet or phone, Court Clerk Catherine A. Schell reported. Of those who appeared, 24 were excused for personal hardship and then 34 of the remaining 63 said they could not overcome their personal prejudices. The judge asked the panel who among them had not heard of the Wlasiuk case prior to being summoned, and only four raised their hands.
Out of the remaining 29 eligible jurors, 11 were selected after being interviewed by the court and both attorneys.
Broome County Court Judge Martin E. Smith has been handling the case since Chenango County Court Judge W. Howard Sullivan recused himself following Wlasiuk’s appeal in August, 2006.
Smith told jurors to expect a lengthy trial that could take between three to four weeks. Smith said that a list of more than 150 potential witnesses was submitted to the court.
Those selected Tuesday were told to report back to the court Thursday morning to begin the trial.
Defense Attorney Randel Scharf indicated that the defense would portray the death of Patricia as a possible suicide. Scharf also said he was concerned over the first trial’s guilty verdict and asked each juror about their knowledge of the case.
The case began yesterday just five days after the New York Appellate Division denied a defense motion to move it to a different county.
Wlasiuk was originally arrested on April 8, 2002. He first claimed that his wife, Patricia, had drown in a truck accident at Guilford Lake. He was later found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life on Jan. 3, 2003. Police contended that Wlasiuk staged the accident at Guilford Lake after killing his wife in Oxford.
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