Jury Notices To Be Sent Out Friday In Capital Gazette Murder Trial
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- The Capital Gazette gunman was in court Tuesday ahead of his scheduled jury trial this summer.
Attorneys are sorting out just how that will look, starting with asking about the vaccination status of prospective jurors, something Judge Michael Wachs declined to do.
Jarrod Ramos pleaded guilty to the 2018 attack that killed Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiassen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters.
Now, the question of whether he's "criminally responsible." It's Maryland's version of an insanity defense.
Judge Wachs said notices will be sent this Friday to a jury pool of 300 people, and they will be brought into the courtroom during jury selection in groups of 10.
There will be plastic barriers between counsel, in front of the jury box, and at the witness stand.
A jury trial has been put off several times throughout the pandemic, but is on the docket again, to start in June.
Also scheduled in June, just blocks away from the courthouse, the unveiling of the Guardians of The First Amendment Memorial, honoring the victims of the attack.
The judge ruled Ramos must wear a mask during the trial, but can wear a clear one.
All the lawyers are vaccinated, although Ramos is not.
