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Jury selection began this morning in the trial of the man accused of running down his wife and leaving her on the side of the road, but a few hours ago the entire jury pool was dismissed because of a statement made by one of the prospective jurors.
People in the courtroom say when the judge asked the jury pool if anyone had seen media coverage of the case, one woman raised her hand and said she saw the defendant's interviews with reporters on TV.
Because of the possibility of bias and concern for the defendant's constitutional rights, the jury pool was dismissed.
The TV interview the woman was referring to happened the day after the victim, Patricia Rothermich, was killed. Her husband, Sherman Lynch, talked with Eyewitness News about his wife's death. In the Oct. 4, 2007, interview he said, "That's very callous. She just didn't deserve that in any way, and to, in my mind, hit like a mongrel dog, this is a person who has been a ministering angel to everybody she knows."
Attorneys were expecting to make opening statements in this trial this afternoon. Now, the process will have to start over. Jury selection will begin on Wednesday morning. Lynch was in the courtroom for the process today.
A friend of the victim, Olivia Moreton, says she's frustrated about the delay because this case has dragged on for more than a year. She says, "I'm hoping for justice. I'm hoping Pat Rothermich is never forgotten. She was a great lady."
Patricia Rothermich was killed on Oct. 3, 2007 when she was hit from behind in a fatal hit-and-run in her Holladay neighborhood.
Police suspected her husband after a woman claiming to be Lynch's girlfriend told police they had recently bought a truck that matched the description of the vehicle in the hit-and-run.
If convicted of murder, Lynch faces 15 years to life in prison.
E-mail: syi@ksl.com
