SAN ANTONIO – Jurors will be given a questionnaire addressing social issues raised during police reform demonstrations in the trial of a man charged with killing a San Antonio police officer.
The supplemental questionnaire will be issued next week when prospective jurors begin individual interviews with prosecutors and defense attorneys in the capital murder trial of 35-year-old Otis McKane, according to District Court Judge Ron Rangel, who will be presiding over the trial.
Rangel said the questionnaire will address social issues raised during demonstrations this summer in San Antonio and across the country.
“We want to make sure that if any potential juror has been affected in any way by any of the social issues that have been brought forth in society, that they have an opportunity to explain that," Rangel said.
McKane, who is Black, is accused of slaying San Antonio Police Department Detective Ben Marconi, who was white. Marconi, a veteran detective, was shot in the head at point-blank range while he was sitting in his patrol car in front of Public Safety Headquarters the morning of Nov. 20, 2016.
Rangel said the questionnaire will also include questions about bias and prejudice.
“When it comes to whether there is a bias or prejudice that could improperly influence the outcome of the case, it’s important that the attorneys and the court have an opportunity to ferret that out,” Rangel said.
Both the prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that the supplemental questionnaire was necessary.
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