BOISE, Idaho (Scripps News Boise) — Jury selection continued Tuesday for the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell.
Similar to Monday’s line of questioning, several jurors were quickly dismissed Tuesday after expressing concerns of “undue hardship,” specifically because the trial could take eight weeks, requiring jurors to report to the Ada County Courthouse Monday through Friday for two months.
Lori Vallow Daybell sits between her attorneys during jury selection at the Ada County Courthouse on Monday, April 4, 2023. (Pool courtroom sketch artist)
Judge Steven Boyce said there’s still a possibility the final jurors may be sequestered. He was dismissed.
READ MORE: ID v. Lori Vallow Daybell: Doomsday Cult Mom Trial
Potential jurors are being questioned in groups of roughly 15 people.
Three groups were questioned on Monday, with 17 people moving forward. All came from the first two groups. None moved forward from Group 3.
Five people moved forward from the first group Tuesday. Three people moved forward from the second group.
On Tuesday, members of the media and the public present at the courthouse were able to listen in to portions of the individual voir dire related to pre-trial publicity.
Lawyers questioned potential jurors on their knowledge of the case prior to being summoned. Several were dismissed for concerns of bias.
They will continue questioning in this manner until they have a pool of 42 potential jurors. Then, the prosecution and defense each have peremptory strikes, where they can dismiss jurors of their choosing without explanation.
They’ll eventually narrow it down to 18 final people: 12 jurors and 6 alternates.
After the jury is finalized, they’ll move on to opening arguments and begin the trial at the judge’s discretion. They may take a recess first. It could take several more days to finalize the jury.
This story was originally published April 4 by KIVI in Boise, an E.W. Scripps Company.
