Jury selection starts, stops in Stancil first-degree murder trial
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on April 21, 2017 6:00 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO Kenneth Morgan Stancil III enters Wayne County Superior Courtroom No. 5 for the start of his first-degree murder trial Friday. Jury selection began later than expected due to a previous trial running long. No potential jurors were selected in the case prior to court recessing for the weekend. The process will resume Monday.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO Kenneth Morgan Stancil III answers Superior Court Judge Jay Hockenbury's questions as his attorney Walter Webster, foreground, stands by. Stancil is on trial for first-degree murder in the 2015 killing on the Wayne College Campus of print shop technician Ron Lane.
Jury selection began today in the first-degree murder trial of 22-year-old Kenneth Morgan Stancil III.
Stancil is accused of shooting and killing Wayne Community College print shop technician Ron Lane on April 13, 2015, on the school's campus.
He is represented by local defense attorney Walter Webster.
Prosecuting the case is District Attorney Matt Delbridge.
Jury selection in the trial began on the heel of another murder trial, which delayed the scheduled start of Stancil's trial by five days.
Stancil appeared in court Friday afternoon markedly different from prior court appearances.
His hair is now short -- not shaved or long -- and he was walking with a limp.
The court settled several pre-trial motions before heading into jury selection around 4:10 p.m.
One of those motions was a Harbison hearing, in which Webster disclosed to the court he intends to admit Stancil committed certain elements of the crime he is charged with at some point during the trial.
Webster told the court he plans to admit at some point during the trial that Stancil shot Lane, and the shot is what killed him.
Stancil told Superior Court Judge Jay Hockenbury, who is presiding over the case, that he understood what that meant.
A Harbison hearing informs the court that the defendant's lawyer plans to admit guilt in the case with the consent of their client.
It was not clear during the hearing how the trial strategy would be used.
Stancil has entered a plea of not guilty on the first-degree murder charge against him.
Out of more than 70 potential jurors, 12 were called to the jury box and Delbridge had little time for questioning before court adjourned for the day around 4:40 p.m.
No potential jurors were cycled out after questions about whether or not they had prior knowledge of the case through news coverage or other means.
Only one potential juror said they had no knowledge of the case whatsoever.
The remaining 11 that were questioned during jury selection today all disclosed they'd heard about the case through various news outlets.
Jury selection for Stancil's trial will resume at 2:30 p.m. Monday in Wayne County Superior Court.