Selection of Jury for Tuffree Trial to Begin

Jury selection is expected to begin next week in the retrial of Daniel Allan Tuffree, the former high school teacher accused of shooting Simi Valley Police Officer Michael Clark to death last year.

Tuffree is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing Clark on Aug. 4, 1995, after the officer was sent to Tuffree’s house following reports that he was possibly suicidal.

After a six-week trial that ended in October, the jury deadlocked 9 to 3 to convict, forcing a mistrial.

The jury convicted Tuffree on two lesser charges of armed assault and attempted murder for firing at another officer during the shooting. But Tuffree will not be sentenced on those charges until the first-degree murder charge is resolved.

Jury selection for the second trial is set to begin Monday. Attorneys anticipate that the screening will take several weeks as individuals are excused for hardship and questioned about their awareness of the case.

During the first trial, attorneys screened eight panels of 80 jurors each before settling on a 12-person jury.

Like the first screening, prospective jurors will be asked to complete detailed questionnaires about how much time they would be able serve since the trial is expected to last several weeks.

They will also be asked whether they followed news reports of the shooting or the first trial.

Individual interviews of jurors are expected to begin Jan. 6. The trial is expected to start in mid-February.