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OTIS MCKANE

Jury selection resumes in trial of man charged in shooting death of SAPD detective after 4-month delay

SAN ANTONIO – After a four-month delay, individual questioning of prospective jurors resumed in the capital murder trial of a man charged in the slaying of a San Antonio Police Department detective. Jury selection in the trial of Otis McKane was put on hold in December as the number of COVID-19 cases in Bexar County began to soar. The questioning is being conducted in the huge Central Jury Room of the Justice Center amid strict COVID-19 protocols, with social distancing and the wearing of masks enforced. “That definitely has changed things,” defense attorney Joel Perez said of how COVID-19 protocols are affecting jury selection. AdSince over four years have passed since the slaying, Perez said finding jurors may be slightly easier.

5 high-profile trials that could happen in San Antonio in 2021

When Bexar County District Courts reopen for trials there are five high-profile cases that might be in the docket for 2021. SAN ANTONIO – As Texas has “opened 100%”, the Bexar County courts remain closed to in-person and jury trials. These trials will take place in the 227th District Court by Judge Kevin O’Connell. AdWhen this retrial takes place it will be in the 144th District Court with Judge Michael Mery. When this trial is set it will take place in the 399th District Court with Judge Frank Castro presiding.

Jury selection in capital murder trial of accused cop killer to resume Monday

SAN ANTONIO – Jury selection will resume Monday in the capital murder trial of a man accused in the execution-style slaying of a San Antonio Police Department detective in 2016. It has been four and a half year years since veteran San Antonio Police Department Detective Benjamin Marconi was shot in the head at point blank range as he sat in his patrol car outside police headquarters. Jury selection in the capital murder trial of 35-year-old Otis McKane, Marconi’s accused killer, began last fall. AdStill, Rangel, who will preside over the trial, said he isn’t considering a change of venue. The Backstory: Otis McKane on trial for execution-style killing of SAPD Detective Benjamin Marconi

Executions in Texas down in 2020, lowest since 1996

SAN ANTONIO – The state of Texas executed three convicted killers and juries across the state handed down just two death sentences in 2020. In Bexar County, where the capital murder trial of accused cop killer Otis McKane is on hold due to COVID-19 concerns, there have been only two death sentences imposed since 2009. ”I think Bexar County is really emplematic of this shift, both in terms of jury rejections of the death penalty and prosecutors who are moving the county away from it,” said Kristin Cuellar, of the Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Though Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales is seeking the death penalty for McKane, he has said that the death penalty should be sought only for “the worst of the worst.””Joe Gonzales is part of the wave of what we consider reform-oriented prosecutors who have pledged to be more limited in their use of the death penalty,” Cuellar said. Though COVID-19 concerns are part of the reason for the low number of Texas executions in 2020, Cuellar said that “the use of the death penalty has declined significantly over the last two decades.”Cuellar added that when the Texas Legislature convenes next week lawmakers will have two death penalty abolition bills to consider.

Spike in COVID-19 cases prompts Bexar County judge to temporarily postpone jury selection in capital murder trial

SAN ANTONIO – The jury selection process had qualified eight jurors in the capital murder trial of Otis McKane when it was temporarily suspended Friday by Bexar County District Judge Ron Rangel. The judge cited concerns over the growing number of positive COVID-19 cases in Bexar County as reason for halting the proceedings. “You could see that concern developing among the jury panel as we were bringing them in,” Fuchs said. The state is seeking the death penalty for McKane, 31, who is accused of fatally shooting veteran San Antonio Police Department Detective Ben Marconi. ”What he wants ultimately, in our case, is that the justice system and the jury decide our client’s fate.

It’s been four years since the death of San Antonio Det. Benjamin Marconi

SAN ANTONIO – Friday marks four years since San Antonio Police Department Det. Benjamin Marconi was shot and killed in the line of duty. Marconi, a 20-year veteran with SAPD, was shot and killed Nov. 20, 2016 while writing a ticket in his patrol car outside Public Safety Headquarters downtown. And today we remember Detective Marconi,” said SAPD chief William McManus just last year. The trial was supposed to take place earlier this year, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jury selection resumes in capital murder case involving man accused of killing SAPD Detective Ben Marconi

SAN ANTONIO – Jury selection resumed today in the capital murder trial of Otis McKane, the man accused of shooting San Antonio Police Department Detective Ben Marconi at point-blank range. Jurors are being interviewed based on a questionnaire they completed in March before a moratorium on jury duty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Backstory: Otis McKane on trial for execution-style killing of SAPD Detective Benjamin MarconiJudge Ron Rangel of the 379th District Court, who will be presiding over the trial, says each juror gets questioned extensively regarding any potential bias or prejudices they may have. Both sides have requested the opportunity to add additional questions to this questionnaire because of the social unrest that’s been going on in the community this year. Rangel says he will accommodate.

Jury selection to resume Monday in trial of accused cop killer

SAN ANTONIO – When jury selection resumes Monday in the capital murder trial of Otis McKane, individual jurors will be interviewed based on a questionnaire they completed in March prior to a moratorium on jury duty ordered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “When you’re dealing with a death penalty case each individual juror gets questioned extensively regarding any potential bias or prejudices they may have,” said 379th District Judge Ron Rangel, who will be presiding over the trial. Jury selection will go slower than normal due to COVID-19 protocols, he said. “We’ve got to clean the entire courtroom between every juror, and that’s going to take time”, Rangel said. He predicted that jury selection will likely go well into January.

Police reform demonstrations to play role in accused cop killer’s trial in San Antonio

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. Rangel said the questionnaire will address social issues raised during demonstrations this summer in San Antonio and across the country. McKane, who is Black, is accused of slaying San Antonio Police Department Detective Ben Marconi, who was white. Rangel said the questionnaire will also include questions about bias and prejudice. Both the prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that the supplemental questionnaire was necessary.