http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20050706 ... -9617r.htm

Publicity makes choosing jury hard
By S.A. Miller
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 7, 2005

BALTIMORE -- Jury selection began yesterday in the trial of two illegal Mexican aliens accused of murdering their three young relatives by beheading one child and nearly decapitating the other two.
Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Thomas Ward disqualified more than 100 potential jurors from a pool of about 250 because pretrial publicity had compromised their ability to render an impartial verdict. The selection process likely will last at least through today with about 88 jurors still to be questioned about their exposure to the publicity.
Mimi Quezada, the mother of victims Ricardo Solis Quezada Jr. and his sister, Lucero Solis Quezada, both 9, attended the proceedings and said she still doubts the guilt of the defendants, who are the children's cousin and uncle.
"I need to see proof," she told The Washington Times through an interpreter.
Mrs. Quezada, who speaks only her native Spanish, was in the country illegally, as was the rest of her family, when the crime occurred. Family members have since received special visas for the duration of the trial, which could last a month.
Mrs. Quezada's children and their 10-year-old male cousin Alexis Espejo Quezada were found butchered in their Northwest Baltimore apartment May 27, 2004, after they apparently returned home alone from school.
The children's cousin, Adan Canela, 18, and their uncle, Policarpio Espinoza Perez, 23, are charged with first-degree murder in the deaths and face life in prison if convicted. The Baltimore prosecutors, who rarely seek a death sentence, have said they asked for a life sentence this time because of the young ages of the defendants.
Prosecutors have not yet given a motive in the killings, and the state's case is expected to rely heavily on DNA evidence. Police reportedly found a glove and pants stained with both the defendants' and the victims' blood.
Defense attorneys have called the DNA evidence "weak." They also are expected to offer alternative suspects and motives in opening arguments, which could come as soon as tomorrow .
The gruesome killings attracted widespread news coverage and have become a lightning rod for the country's debate of immigration policy.
La Voz de Aztlan, an Internet news service catering to Mexicans living in the United States, has called the killings anti-Mexican "hate crimes" and suggested that the authorities railroaded Mr. Canela and Mr. Perez because of their nationality.
U.S. Border Control, a nonprofit group dedicated to ending illegal immigration, has pointed to the killings as an example of crime associated with some illegal aliens.
The interest in the case, especially local news coverage when the carnage was discovered last year, made it difficult to seat a jury, said Adam Sean Cohen, an attorney for Mr. Canela.
Court officials apparently were ready to add more jurors to the pool today.
James L. Rhodes, the lead attorney for Mr. Canela, said he did not request a change of venue for the trial because he was "comfortable with the people of Baltimore."