By Joel Anderson, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
BROOKSVILLE — After a day and a half of interviews, a 12-person jury has been selected in the trial of a 35-year-old man accused in the stabbing deaths of an elderly Masaryktown couple.
Robert Jardin of Brooksville is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, armed burglary and grand theft for his alleged role in the October 2006 stabbing deaths of Patrick and Evelyn DePalma in their home in rural southern Hernando County.
Jury selection started Monday and continued Tuesday morning as prosecutors and defense attorneys steadily whittled down a pool of about 50 potential jurors.
Many of the questions Assistant State Attorney Pete Magrino had for prospective jurors involved their prior knowledge of the case, particularly if they had read or seen recent media accounts.
The trial is expected to last nearly a week.
Also Monday, Circuit Judge Jack Springstead denied Magrino's motion to prohibit Jardin's attorneys from questioning witnesses about statements and confessions made previously by David Bostick, who was the first suspect arrested in the case in April 2008.
But the case against Bostick, an 18-year-old distant relative of the DePalmas from Tampa, fell apart because of a lack of evidence, and he was released within a month.
Opening statements were set to start in the trial Tuesday afternoon.
Joel Anderson can be reached at joelanderson@sptimes.com or (352) 754-6120.