LAKEPORT — The process of picking jurors for one of the co-defendants in the toddler-killing trial continued Wednesday.
Paul William Braden appeared in a Lake County courtroom with his lawyer, Doug Rhoades, to select jurors for his murder trial.
Braden, 21, and Orlando Joseph Lopez, 24, have pleaded not guilty to 15 felonies, including murder and five counts of attempted murder, and have denied dozens of special allegations.
Authorities allege the two Clearlake Oaks residents shot into a crowd gathered at a Clearlake home on June 18, killing Skyler Rapp, 4, and injuring five other people.
Braden and Lopez are standing trial in the same courtroom but have different attorneys and will have separate juries.
Hundreds of prospective jurors arrived at the Lake County Courthouse Jan. 26, 27 and Feb. 1 to fill out questionnaires or ask to be excused from service because the estimated three-month trial would cause them a hardship.
Each defendant had a separate panel each day, with one group of potential jurors for Braden in the morning and a second for Lopez in the afternoon.
Two of the three panels that completed questionnaires for Braden”s jury came back to the courthouse Wednesday. Some people were excused based on their responses on the forms.
The remaining prospective jurors spent the afternoon answering questions verbally. This process, known as voir dire, is expected to continue today for Braden”s jury.
Lopez and his lawyer, Stephen Carter, are not scheduled to carry on with selecting jurors until the Braden jury is seated.
Each defendant”s jury will consist of 12 jurors and eight alternates.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
