Kehoe's attorney requests mock jury
The attorney for Michelle Kehoe has asked a judge to consider assembling a mock jury panel to assess whether her client could receive a fair trial in Buchanan County.
Kehoe’s attorney, Waterloo-based public defender Andrea Dryer, argued before a judge Wednesday that there has been considerable media coverage of Kehoe’s alleged crimes and the subsequent court proceedings.
Michelle Kehoe, who was not present at court hearing in April, was present for Wednesday’s hearing. The hearing was scheduled to get underway at 10 a.m., but didn’t begin until around 10:42 a.m. after attorneys from both sides and the judge held a closed-door meeting.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Kehoe faces a mandatory life prison sentence.
Assistant Attorney General Andrew Prosser, who is representing the prosecution along with Buchanan County Attorney Al Vander Hart, said the state resists both the request to move the trial and the request to assemble a mock jury.
Prosser said the state is not disputing there has been significant media coverage of Kehoe’s alleged crimes, but since coverage has been statewide and, in some cases nationwide, a fair trial is just as likely in Buchanan County as it would be in any other area of the state.
Prosser argued that a mock jury would be time-consuming, expensive and would not guarantee anything about the jury at the actual trial.
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“We are concerned because there has been substantial media coverage in this case,” Dryer said.
In particular, Dryer noted comments on media articles that included name-calling, profanities, and opinions about actions that should be taken against Kehoe. Dryer said there are also articles that discuss the cost to taxpayers for criminal proceedings. The attorney said such articles could serve to inflame residents of Buchanan County, of whom the jury pool would be composed.