LAKEPORT — Jury selection continued for the second straight day in the Robby Alan Beasley double-murder trial Thursday.
Beasley, 32, of Clearlake faces two counts of murder and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the shooting deaths of Frank and Yvette Maddox.
The Maine couple”s partially decomposed bodies were found at the bottom of a Lower Lake embankment in March 2010, more than a month after authorities allege Beasley shot them.
Beasley pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Dozens of prospective jurors arrived at the Lake County Courthouse Thursday — one group in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Some were excused because the trial would cause them a hardship. The others completed jury questionnaires. The same process occurred with different jury panels Wednesday.
The parties will begin picking jurors next week and hope to seat a jury by Oct. 25, deputy district attorney Art Grothe said. The trial will not be in session Friday.
Opening statements are set for Nov. 7. Both sides estimated that arguments and testimony could last four to six weeks.
Authorities allege Beasley, a former Maine resident, recruited the couple to assist in a Lake County marijuana operation in 2009 but later suspected they stole marijuana from his apartment in January 2010.
Elijah Bae McKay, an alleged accomplice charged as a co-defendant, testified at Beasley”s preliminary hearing in January 2011, saying he believed Frank Maddox, 32, and his wife Yvette, 40, died the night of Jan. 22, 2010.
The case against McKay, 30, of Lower Lake is on a different track. He has not yet had a preliminary hearing.
Both men remain in custody at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Jeremy Walsh is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. Reach him at 263-5636, ext. 37 or jwalsh@record-bee.com. Follow the case on Twitter, @JeremyDWalsh or #RobbyBeasley.
