Jury selected in trial of man charged in fatal 2022 Baltimore fire
Jurors have been selected in the trial of a man charged in connection to the January 2022 fire on Stricker Street that killed three firefighters and injured another.
Lt. Kelsey Sadler, Lt. Paul Butrim, and EMT/firefighter Kenny Lacayo all died in the fire when they became trapped in the vacant rowhome on Jan. 24, 2022. John McMaster was permanently injured while battling the fire.
James Barnett is charged with second-degree arson, second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless endangerment.
Friday's jury selection
Prosecutors and the defense had a large pool of jurors to choose from. Roughly 150 were called for the case.
Lawyers slowly chipped away at that number, leading them to a jury of six women and six men on Friday. There are four alternates, one woman and three men.
Andrew Alperstein, a defense attorney who is not affiliated with this case, says it's common to see a large pool of jurors in a case like this because there's been a lot of publicity around it.
"There was a lot of follow-up about what happened to the firefighters," he said. "There were civil suits that was all in the media. The exposure to potential jurors to information that wasn't brought in evidence is going to be something that the lawyers and the judge are going to want to ask those jurors about."
Barnett was in the room for jury selection. He appeared to be very engaged in the process, even taking notes.
It's possible opening statements could begin Monday. Alperstein said lawyers will spend a lot of time on the evidence.
"There's a lot of science in cases like arson cases and homicide cases," he said. "So, they will spend a lot of time preparing with their witnesses. They can be what we call expert witnesses."
Questions remain about whether Barnett will take the stand in his trial.
"It really is unique to each case and each client," Alperstein said. "A lot of times, lawyers prepare for that but make a game time decision after they see how the evidence goes in the state's case."
In the courtroom, the judge said the trial could last through October 23.