LA CROSSE, Wis. (WSAU) – A jury of eight men and five women has been picked to hear the murder trial that starts Wednesday for the Wausau man charged with killing high school senior Breanna Schneller last year.
Attorneys had originally picked a 14-member panel. But one juror's brother-in-law died and she was excused before the panel even left La Crosse. Twelve members will actually decide Raul Ponce-Rocha's fate. One will serve as an alternate.
Opening statements begin in Wausau at 8:30 Wednesday morning.
Marathon County Judge Patrick Brady agreed to the out-of-county jury to give Ponce-Rocha a fair trial. Brady said Ponce-Rocha could not have gotten a fair trial from a local jury because of pre-trial publicity.
Ponce-Rocha is charged with killing 18-year-old Breanna Schneller in her west side Wausau apartment May 2, 2009. Prosecutors contend that Ponce-Rocha broke into Schneller's apartment to steal her underwear to add to a collection of women's panties that he kept under his bed.
The jury will be sequestered for the trial, which is expected to last at least a week-and-a-half. Opening statements begin tomorrow and testimony could take place on Saturday to take advantage of the jury's schedule.
