Jury selection for Griswold murder trial begins Monday

A 12-member jury will decide the fate of Richard A. Griswold as his first-degree murder trial is set to begin in Gage County District Court on Monday.

The trial will also mark the first time still and video cameras will be allowed inside a courtroom in Nebraska for a criminal trial.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Monday for the trial of Griswold, who is charged with first-degree murder, a Class I felony, and use of a firearm to commit a felony, a Class II felony.

Griswold, a 43-year-old Beatrice resident, is accused of shooting and killing Connie Eacret, 49, of Beatrice on Nov. 17 at her home at 1322 Ella St.

The Beatrice Police Department responded to the house about 5:15 a.m. Nov. 17 after receiving a call about a shooting, according to the Beatrice Police Department.

Eacret, who was critically injured, was taken by LifeNet to BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln, where she was later pronounced dead.

Griswold pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Lawyers for both sides expect the trial to last about a week. Doug Warner from the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office will prosecute for the state, while James Mowbray from the Commission on Public Advocacy will represent Griswold.

Neither Mowbray or Warner could comment on the specifics of their cases prior to the trial.

If found guilty of first-degree murder, Griswold could receive a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. A Class II felony carries a penalty of between one and 50 years in prison.

For the first time in a criminal trial in Nebraska, still and video cameras will be allowed in the courtroom, Gage County District Judge Paul Korslund said.

“I think it gives people a window into the operations of the court,” Korslund said.

Courtrooms have always been open to the public, Korslund said. Audio for radio broadcasts has also been allowed for a number of years in the Beatrice area. However, video or still photography has not been allowed in the courtroom.

The Nebraska Supreme Court has recently allowed District 1 Judges Dan Bryan and Korslund to establish a pilot project to test the use of still and video news cameras in their courtrooms by recognized news media.

Chief Justice Mike Heavican is looking forward to seeing how this pilot program will go on Monday, he said. Heavican has encouraged trial court judges to experiment having video cameras and still photography in trials.

The judicial branch is often the most misunderstood branch of the United State government due to the fact that courts have not always allowed 20th and 21st century media into the courtroom to enable the public more access to what is happening within the courts, Heavican said.

“We believe people not only get their information from newspapers, but television and radio,” he said.

To put this pilot program together, both judges created rules on the expanded media coverage to maintain the rights of those involved with the proceedings but still provide access to the media to share with the public.

News stations will have restrictions on which portions of a trial can be covered, Korslund said. All proceedings required by law to be private will be strictly prohibited from media coverage.

In addition, expanded media coverage of cases with juveniles, child custody, police informants, undercover agents and similar witnesses are prohibited unless consent of all parties to a case is obtained.

Under the restrictions, the number of news agencies allowed in with cameras allowed in the courtroom is restricted also.

In an age when technology is advanced and more readily available, Korslund believes it will serve as a great tool for the judicial system as a way demonstrate to the public how court proceedings happen.

“We’re excited about it, we’re confident that it’s going to be a successful experience,” he said.