Jury notices sent for Griffith re-trial
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
January 5, 2016
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/jury-notices-sent-for-griffith-re-trial/article_65af478a-5afd-11e7-bde4-10604b9f0f42.html
With less than a month before the start of Keith Griffith's second trial, McCracken Circuit Clerk Kim Channell said jury notices are in the mail.
Channell said 900 jury notices were sent out for the Feb. 2 trial. She estimated 400 to 500 people will report for duty.
Griffith is charged with murder, first-degree arson, tampering with physical evidence and animal cruelty in the deaths of his wife, Julie Griffith, and their two dogs.
Authorities believe he shot his wife three times before setting fire to their house with her and the animals inside.
Griffith was tried last February, but a mistrial was declared when the jury could not reach a consensus.
Despite media attention the case has received, Channell said fewer notices were sent out this time.
For last year's trial, Channell said her office requested 1,300 notices be sent to McCracken County residents from Frankfort, which resulted in approximately 500 potential jurors reporting for duty.
"We had too many jurors report the last time," Channell said. "It was crazy. We had people sitting in the halls and in the aisles on the floor. You were stepping over people to get around them."
However, 900 notices is still one and a half times the average number of summonses sent out for trials, Channell said.
"We usually send 600 jury notices for any type of trial," she said. "And on average half of those actually report."
In cases such as Griffith's, which has had considerable media attention, Channell said a larger number of notices are sent out to ensure an impartial jury can be seated.
Last year, a 16-person jury was seated after five days of the selection process. Channell said she doesn't know what to expect from this year's selection.
Last month, defense attorneys Chris McNeill and Michael Bufkin filed a motion requesting the trial be moved to Bowling Green or Glasgow, citing the case's "extensive" media attention as a problem.
"(Due to) the continuous pretrial publicity since January 2014, the community's knowledge of the defendant and familiarity with the victim, a fair trial is not possible in this judicial circuit," the motion said.
The motion included nearly 40 stories published in The Sun and several DVDs of newscasts from a local television station as evidence.
Additionally, the defense argued finding an impartial jury in the same jury pool could prove an issue.
The Commonwealth Attorney's Office argued there have been several past cases that received extensive coverage, including a capital case that was tried four times in McCracken County, and juries were seated without issue.
McCracken Circuit Judge Tim Kaltenbach denied the motion, stating the case is now two years old and has not been in the news every day for a significant period of time. The judge added he would reconsider if there is trouble seating a jury.
Potential jurors are expected to report for orientation Feb. 1, Channell said. The jury selection process will begin the next day.
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
Channell said 900 jury notices were sent out for the Feb. 2 trial. She estimated 400 to 500 people will report for duty.
Griffith is charged with murder, first-degree arson, tampering with physical evidence and animal cruelty in the deaths of his wife, Julie Griffith, and their two dogs.
Authorities believe he shot his wife three times before setting fire to their house with her and the animals inside.
Griffith was tried last February, but a mistrial was declared when the jury could not reach a consensus.
Despite media attention the case has received, Channell said fewer notices were sent out this time.
For last year's trial, Channell said her office requested 1,300 notices be sent to McCracken County residents from Frankfort, which resulted in approximately 500 potential jurors reporting for duty.
"We had too many jurors report the last time," Channell said. "It was crazy. We had people sitting in the halls and in the aisles on the floor. You were stepping over people to get around them."
However, 900 notices is still one and a half times the average number of summonses sent out for trials, Channell said.
"We usually send 600 jury notices for any type of trial," she said. "And on average half of those actually report."
In cases such as Griffith's, which has had considerable media attention, Channell said a larger number of notices are sent out to ensure an impartial jury can be seated.
Last year, a 16-person jury was seated after five days of the selection process. Channell said she doesn't know what to expect from this year's selection.
Last month, defense attorneys Chris McNeill and Michael Bufkin filed a motion requesting the trial be moved to Bowling Green or Glasgow, citing the case's "extensive" media attention as a problem.
"(Due to) the continuous pretrial publicity since January 2014, the community's knowledge of the defendant and familiarity with the victim, a fair trial is not possible in this judicial circuit," the motion said.
The motion included nearly 40 stories published in The Sun and several DVDs of newscasts from a local television station as evidence.
Additionally, the defense argued finding an impartial jury in the same jury pool could prove an issue.
The Commonwealth Attorney's Office argued there have been several past cases that received extensive coverage, including a capital case that was tried four times in McCracken County, and juries were seated without issue.
McCracken Circuit Judge Tim Kaltenbach denied the motion, stating the case is now two years old and has not been in the news every day for a significant period of time. The judge added he would reconsider if there is trouble seating a jury.
Potential jurors are expected to report for orientation Feb. 1, Channell said. The jury selection process will begin the next day.
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
