Judge Sets Brisk Pace as Jury Selection Begins in Polly Klaas Murder Case

SAN JOSE —  The judge in the trial of the man accused of killing Polly Klaas set a brisk pace as jury selection began Wednesday.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Thomas Hastings indicated early that he was ready to get down to business, disposing swiftly of a defense complaint about buttons the Klaas family wore memorializing the dead girl.

“Let’s not make it an issue,” Hastings said, telling the family the buttons were not appropriate in the courthouse. “Let’s get on and try the case.”

About 80 prospective jurors were shepherded into the small courtroom as the process of winnowing out hardship cases began.

Richard Allen Davis, 41, who is charged with kidnapping Klaasfrom a slumber party in her bedroom, strangling her and dumping her body beside a highway, appeared in court wearing a crisp striped shirt and a pair of tortoise-shell glasses.

The trial is expected to begin in mid-April and last four or five months.

Hastings spoke to the prospective jurors, warning them not to talk about the case and to stay away from news accounts about it. He assured jurors that they would not be sequestered.

Lawyers were to begin questioning the prospective jurors individually March 4.

The first attempt to select a jury stalled last year in Santa Rosa after a judge ruled that it would be impossible to select an impartial jury in Sonoma County, where the crime took place.

The trial was moved to San Jose, about 100 miles south.

It remains to be seen whether attorneys will have better luck in Santa Clara County. Davis’ attorney, Assistant Public Defender Barry Collins, has tried to get the trial moved again, arguing that the best place for a fair jury is in Southern California.

Hastings denied that request, although Collins does have the option of reintroducing it if problems develop in jury selection.

If convicted, Davis faces a possible death penalty.