500 report for jury duty in Griffith trial
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
February 3, 2015
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/report-for-jury-duty-in-griffith-trial/article_adfcf57a-5ad8-11e7-bb97-10604b9f0f42.html
Kat Russell / Paducah Sun
Day one in the murder trial of a Reidland man charged with killing his wife brought with it one of the largest pools of potential jurors McCracken Circuit Court has ever seen.
According to McCracken Circuit Clerk Kim Channell, approximately 1,900 jury summons were sent to county residents in the weeks leading up to the trial.
Of those 1,900, Channell estimated close to 500 people reported to the courthouse Monday morning.
"It was crazy," she said. "We had both (court) rooms packed and people sitting on the floor and in the aisles."
Keith Griffith, 56, is accused of shooting his wife three times before setting fire to their home with her and their pets still inside.
Griffith, who was arrested a week later, is on trial for murder, tampering with physical evidence, first-degree arson and two counts of second-degree animal cruelty.
Finding suitable jurors is not going to be easy, Channell said. With a case like the Griffith trial that has been heavily publicized, the jury selection process becomes a lot tougher.
"That's why so many people were called in," she said, "because we knew it was highly publicized and a lot of people knew about it."
The morning started with juror orientation during which the number of potential jurors was whittled down "quite a bit," Channell said.
Those who were not dismissed reported back after lunch for voir dire - the process where the lawyers and judge ask potential jurors questions to determine if they would be suitable.
The selection process will have several phases, said defense attorney Mark Bryant, each of which will cut the number down to the final 16 jurors.
Jury selection was scheduled to resume at 9:30 this morning. Officials estimate the process could take up to a week.
"We really expect it's going to be hard to get a jury because there's been so much publicity about this case," Bryant said. "We don't know how many people are going to be struck because of opinions in the case, publicity in the case or they know the people involved."
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
According to McCracken Circuit Clerk Kim Channell, approximately 1,900 jury summons were sent to county residents in the weeks leading up to the trial.
Of those 1,900, Channell estimated close to 500 people reported to the courthouse Monday morning.
"It was crazy," she said. "We had both (court) rooms packed and people sitting on the floor and in the aisles."
Keith Griffith, 56, is accused of shooting his wife three times before setting fire to their home with her and their pets still inside.
Griffith, who was arrested a week later, is on trial for murder, tampering with physical evidence, first-degree arson and two counts of second-degree animal cruelty.
Finding suitable jurors is not going to be easy, Channell said. With a case like the Griffith trial that has been heavily publicized, the jury selection process becomes a lot tougher.
"That's why so many people were called in," she said, "because we knew it was highly publicized and a lot of people knew about it."
The morning started with juror orientation during which the number of potential jurors was whittled down "quite a bit," Channell said.
Those who were not dismissed reported back after lunch for voir dire - the process where the lawyers and judge ask potential jurors questions to determine if they would be suitable.
The selection process will have several phases, said defense attorney Mark Bryant, each of which will cut the number down to the final 16 jurors.
Jury selection was scheduled to resume at 9:30 this morning. Officials estimate the process could take up to a week.
"We really expect it's going to be hard to get a jury because there's been so much publicity about this case," Bryant said. "We don't know how many people are going to be struck because of opinions in the case, publicity in the case or they know the people involved."
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
