Tempers flare at Redwine trial over background checks on potential jurors
Oct 30, 2020
The trial for Mark Redwine experienced unexpected drama Friday when attorneys argued over background checks performed on potential jurors.
Redwine’s trial began Thursday with jury selection, a process that is expected to take a week to sift through 2,625 people who were summoned to serve on the 12-person jury with two alternates in the highly publicized case.
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Champagne said the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, on its own accord and without request from the District Attorney’s Office, conducted the background checks and compiled the document “to be helpful in the jury selection process.”
“When we were made aware of it, we immediately released (it to the defense),” Champagne said.
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Wilson called the whole matter a “big ado about next to nothing.”
“We’re done for the day on this issue,” he said. “I just don’t see it being an issue.”
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Christopher Mueller, a professor at the University of Colorado Law School, who has been teaching law for 50 years, said he’s never heard of a sheriff’s office taking it upon itself to compile background checks on potential jurors, let alone a list of more than 1,000 people.
“That’s pretty extraordinary,” he said.
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Ultimately, background checks on potential jurors are not illegal, Mueller said, and Friday’s flare-up at trial was likely the defense trying to make noise and claim something was done wrong in the process to garner sympathy.
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It’s unclear if the issue in the Redwine trial will go any further. No formal motions were filed as of Friday afternoon. Champagne and Wilson both declined to comment.
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It's no secret the defense has been trying to delay this trial or gain a mistrial and I won't be surprised if motions follow to delay jury selection or another attempt to force change of venue. MOO