Subject:  picking jury in teen accused of killing police officer |
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Chris
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Date Posted: 10/12/09 6:42pm
The Daily Tribune (dailytribune.com), Serving Southeastern Oakland County
Fieger asks for more jurors, more time in trial of teen accused of killing Oak Park officer
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
By ANN ZANIEWSKI
Journal Register News Service
The attorney for a teenager accused of fatally shooting a police officer said Wednesday that he wants a large pool of potential jurors and sufficient time to review juror questionnaires to ensure that his client gets a fair trial.
Jonathan Belton, 17, will go on trial on a charge of first-degree murder in December for the Dec. 28, 2008 shooting death of Oak Park Public Safety Officer Mason Samborski.
At a pre-trial hearing, defense attorney Geoffrey Fieger said calling 100 people to go through the jury selection process may not be enough; he asked for at least 200 people. Assistant Prosecutor Ken Frazee objected.
“This is a highly publicized case... I’m simply trying to get a fair jury,” Fieger said.
Oakland Circuit Judge Rae Lee Chabot said 100 people would be enough.
Fieger also said he needed time to go over juror questionnaires. Passing them out in the morning and beginning jury selection that afternoon would be impossible, he said.
Chabot said if both the prosecution and defense don’t feel ready to start picking a jury on the same day the questionnaires are passed out, then jury selection can begin the following day.
The prosecution and defense plan to discuss the questionnaires prior to the trial. If necessary, the attorneys will have a conference with the judge.
Samborski, 28, was shot during a struggle at the Rue Versailles apartment complex near 10 Mile and Greenfield roads. The officer had stopped Belton, who has no license, driving his mother’s Jeep in the area, police said.
Investigators have said that Belton lied to get Samborski to go to the apartment complex, saying that his parents lived there.
Belton is accused of shooting Samborski with the officer’s gun.
His trial begins Dec. 3. Charged as an adult, if convicted, the teenager faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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