BOSTON, June 3 (UPI) -- Jury selection in the long-awaited Boston trial of reputed mobster James "Whitey" Bulger centers on whether an impartial jury can be found, legal experts say.
The trial will begin Tuesday with jury selection, officials say.
Bulger, 83, allegedly played a role in 19 murders, and the trial will begin with finding 18 impartial jurors in a pool of 675 for what The Boston Globe described as "the climactic end to a decades-long crime story, perhaps the most notorious in Boston's history."
Given the nature of Bulger's life, it is likely every potential juror has heard his name, the newspaper said.
"The question is, based on what you know, do you feel you can be fair. Almost everyone in Boston knows about it [the trial]. The goal is to find anyone who is impartial," said Dan Medwed, Northeastern University law professor.
U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper has set next Monday as the date for opening statements, suggesting she wants jury selection to be concluded by the end of this week.
"It will be fascinating to see if she can do it, but it tells you she wants to run a tight ship," said Jeffrey T. Frederick, director of jury research services for the National Legal Research Group.
Casper outlined her jury strategy at a recent hearing. She will divide the 675 potential jurors, all from eastern Massachusetts, into three pools of 225, the first pool scheduled to arrive in court Tuesday morning. Each potential juror will fill out a 13-page questionnaire, and the process will be repeated by the remaining groups Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday.
Lawyers in the case said a three-month trial is expected, a fact that could also help shape the jury, the newspaper added.
"Who are the people who can afford to spend the summer doing this?" asked Edward P. Schwartz, a former law professor. It's one thing to miss a couple of days of work, but what judge is going to make someone miss their mortgage payment, or not be able to put food on someone's table to cover this?"
