Test jurors to gauge publicity in slaying of IU student
(AP) — Lawyers will question 25 to 30 test jurors to determine if an impartial jury can be seated for the trial of a Bloomington man accused of killing an Indiana University student, a judge ruled Monday.
Brown County Circuit Judge Judith Stewart and the lawyers in the case will ask the jurors about what they have heard about defendant Daniel Messel through the news coverage of the case and whether they would be able to presume him innocent.
Messel contends that the publicity over evidence that allegedly links him to her death and related reports make it impossible for him to receive a fair trial in Brown County.