Nearly 250 potential jurors dismissed from selection for Martin Shkreli's securities fraud trial

[Eugene]

Source: ABC News

Nearly 250 potential jurors dismissed from selection for Martin Shkreli's securities fraud trial

By JULIA JACOBO - Jun 28, 2017, 9:52 AM ET

Multiple potential jurors who were dismissed from the securities fraud trial against Martin Shkreli had expressed strong objections toward the former pharmaceutical CEO notorious for his drastic increase in the price of a life-saving drug.

Jury selection for 34-year-old Shkreli’s trial has proved difficult, with nearly 250 potential jurors dismissed in just two days for the securities fraud trial in New York.

A judge denied requests from Shkreli's defense team to start the selection process over and ban reporters from listening in on sidebars, The Associated Press reported. The judge did agree to re-question about 40 people who qualified for the jury pool to see if they were influenced by Shkreli's publicity.

Of 178 jurors, 47 were selected on Monday, while 16 out of 69 jurors were selected voir dire on Tuesday.

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/250-potential-jurors-dismissed-selection-martin-shkrelis-securities/story?id=48281194

[blogslut]

1. I believe in fair trials and the justice system and blah blah...

Still, I just love this story.

[hamsterjill]

2. I don't think I could be impartial.

He deserves a fair trial. I wouldn't be capable of assuring that I could be impartial because in my opinion, he's guilty and I want him to be put in jail.

Honesty is the best policy, and I'm sure they will eventually find suitable jurors. WHEN he goes to jail, I want it to be because he was found guilty in a just system.

[gratuitous]

3. This may be one of those cases

This may be one of those cases where the court should just take the first 12 jurors in the pool and seat them, unless they have a personal connection to a party or attorney in the trial (e.g., blood relative, good friend of long standing, justifiably angry ex-wife, etc.). Finding people who haven't heard of Shkreli or who haven't formed an opinion of his public actions and statements is going to be pretty tough, but the defendant shouldn't hold things up just because he's been an unrelenting public jerk.