COUPEVILLE — Attorneys sifted through 29 people in an Island County courtroom Thursday before seating 17 jurors and alternates for Thomas Martin Roberts’ murder trial in Port Angeles.
The jury includes 10 women and seven men from Whidbey Island, none of whom voiced strong opinions on drug use, mental illness or law enforcement — key issues in Roberts’ trial — during the three-day jury selection process.
Roberts is accused of first degree murder in the shooting death of Clallam County Sheriff’s Deputy Wally Davis in August 2000.
Because of the high-profile case in Clallam County, the jury was ordered from Island County.
Five of the jurors selected Thursday will be alternates in Roberts’ trial, set to begin Oct. 21 in Clallam County Superior Court in Port Angeles.
“We’re satisfied,” defense attorney Terry Mulligan said Thursday afternoon following jury selection.
Prosecutors, who on Wednesday expressed frustration about what they deemed an overly cautious selection process, said they feel the final jury appears to be intelligent and capable of reaching a verdict.
“It gives every indication of being bright,” Clallam County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dick Suryan said. “Our frustrations are alleviated.”
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The rest of the story appears in the Friday/Saturday Peninsula Daily News Clallam County edition. Click on SUBSCRIBE to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.
