Jury selection for an MS-13 gang murder case continued Wednesday, a week after the next stage of the process moved to the Santa Barbara County courthouse in Santa Maria.
More than 40 jurors sat inside the courtroom to initiate the voir dire, or the process in which the judge, prosecution and defense attorneys ask questions to determine whether they’re suitable to serve on a jury involving five defendants alleged to be members of MS-13, a transnational criminal organization.
The group of jurors is among thousands summoned for the initial stage of the selection process, which began at the Santa Maria Fairpark on Aug. 1 and reduced the number to several hundred for voir dire, which began on Sept. 22, according to Deputy District Attorney Ann Bramsen.
Bramsen couldn’t disclose exact numbers due to a November 2017 gag order that prohibits officials from discussing the case except for what’s said in open court.
Prosecution and defense attorneys on Friday agreed to dismiss unvaccinated jurors in a jury trial of five Santa Maria defendants accused of co…
Five Santa Maria men — Marcos Manuel Sanchez Torres, Juan Carlos Lozano Membreno, Traquilino Robles Morales, Juan Carlos Urbina Serrano and Luis German Mejia Orellana — are each charged with murder and gang-related charges.
They are the first trial group of five defendants each, 10 total, and charged in connection to 10 gang-related deaths in the Santa Maria Valley between 2013 and 2016, according to officials.
Judge John McGregor is presiding over the trial, which is assigned to Department 8 of Superior Court in Santa Maria.
The case for defendants in trial group 2, which includes Jose Balmore Saravia Lainez, Jose Ricardo Saravia Lainez, Jose Juan Sanchez Torres, Jose Narciso Escobar Hernandez and Olvin Serrano was reassigned to Department 12 of Superior Court in Santa Barbara on Aug. 27, and that trial is tentatively slated to begin jury selection on Oct. 18, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Kelly Duncan.
Each trial is expected to last about a year. All defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Jurors poured into the courtroom, each wearing a mask and sitting at least one seat apart from each other due to COVID-19 protocols.
Eighteen men and women sat in the juror box, while the remaining candidates sat spread out in the audience portion of the courtroom.
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McGregor said that only jurors vaccinated against the coronavirus will be seated to “lessen the possibilities” for issues related to the disease, adding that all defendants and their attorneys were vaccinated.
He reminded each person that a fair trial with a jury of peers is what separates the United States from the rest of the world, adding that it is their duty to be truthful when answering questions.
The judge said all jurors indicated their ability to be fair and impartial on the questionnaires.
“That’s why you have gotten this far in the process,” McGregor said.
The questioning process is designed to select a fair and impartial jury.
Another female juror indicated that she formerly worked in the District Attorney’s Office as a clerk and was also a former Sheriff’s Office deputy.
McGregor questioned six jurors before the hearing ended for the day.
The voir dire process will continue until 12 jurors and 12 alternates are selected, which is when opening statements are slated to begin, according to Bramsen.
Jury selection in the case continues Thursday at 9 p.m. in Department 8 of Superior Court in Santa Maria.
