Judge to Import Jury in Torching Case
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TAMPA, Fla. — A judge decided Wednesday to try a racially charged torching case in Tampa with a jury flown in from West Palm Beach, Fla.
Circuit Judge Donald C. Evans decided to approve the arrangement despite defense objections that it would not protect the defendants’ rights as well as moving the trial.
The Aug. 23 trial of Mark Kohut and Charles Rourk had been scheduled for last month in Tampa. The two, who are white, are accused of setting Christopher Wilson, a black New York tourist, on fire on New Year’s Day. Wilson was seriously burned.
After eight days of trying unsuccessfully to seat a jury unaffected by intense local news coverage, Evans decided to move the trial.
But chief judges in both locations suggested importing a jury instead of going to the expense of packing up and moving all the court personnel, attorneys and witnesses. The savings has been estimated at up to $1 million.
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