The trial for three of the four corrections officers charged in the murder of Robert Brooks – who did not accept plea bargains – begins today with jury selection.
Brooks, an inmate transferred to Marcy Corrections Facility on Dec. 9, was brutally beaten with his hands cuffed behind his back by corrections officers while in custody. He died as a result of his injuries on Dec. 10. An autopsy was conducted by the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office and, in February, Brooks’ death was ruled a homicide.
The fourth corrections officer is slated to go to trial in January.
Potential jurors arrive for jury selection in the Robert Brooks case
For the first day of court in the trail against three corrections officers, David Kingsley, Mathew Galliher, and Nicholas Kieffer, 12 jurors will be selected randomly from a pool and lawyers on both sides will be allowed to ask questions about potential biases and excuse jurors from selection.
According to the Department of Justice, “…each side is allowed to excuse certain potential jurors without providing a reason by using a limited number of “peremptory challenges.”
Who was Robert Brooks?
Brooks was a resident of Greece in Monroe County and was incarcerated at Mohawk Correction Facility after stabbing his then-girlfriend multiple times during a physical dispute. He pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, which started in 2017. Brooks had served eight years of his 12 year sentence when he was transferred to Marcy Correctional Facility.
Robert Brooks Jr., Brooks’s son, said at January press conference in Rochester that he and his father “…were dreaming of a new life when he got out” and that his father had expressed interest in writing music and publishing a book.
How long will the trial take?
Standing before Judge Robert Bauer before the potential jurors are called in, Special Prosecutor William Fitzpatrick said that he would be “shocked” if the Robert Brooks trial wasn’t finished in two weeks or less.
When asked by the judge, defense attorneys for the corrections officers did not disagree with the special prosecutor’s statement.
Jury selection process marches on
Since the early morning of Oct. 6, prosecution and defense attorneys have interviewed around 100 potential jurors for the case, interviewing each one and determining whether or not they will be among the 12 selected to determine the fate of the three corrections officers on trial.
First nine jurors selected
By early afternoon on Oct. 6, the first nine jurors were selected and took their oath before Judge Bauer. Jurors were instructed not to discuss the case or that they were on the jury. Additionally, to keep jurors impartial, Judge Bauer ordered jurors to avoid any and all news media related to the case that might influence their opinion.
“If anyone tries to influence you in any way, you are to report that to me immediately,” Bauer said.
Another four jurors selected, jury selection process continues.
Day one of the Robert Brooks case against three corrections officers accused of murder ended with jury selection still ongoing.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Robert Brooks trial: Jury selection begins in Utica court room
Reporting by Observer-Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
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