Jurors come, go as Renfro trial gets underway

COEUR d’ALENE — More than 20 potential jurors have been selected to participate in voir dire, the second phase of the process to seat a jury in the Jonathan Renfro murder trial scheduled to begin this month in Coeur d’Alene’s First District Court.

The potential jurors were chosen before Friday afternoon from a panel of 100 jurors who appeared this week for orientation at the old Kootenai County Courthouse at 501 Government Way.

The panel is the first of 10 panels making up more than 800 candidates called for jury duty in the murder trial of Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Greg Moore, which is expected to last three weeks or more.

Renfro, 29, is accused of shooting Moore with a Glock pistol he had in his pocket when the officer confronted him after dark in a neighborhood where residents had reported burglaries and vandalism.

If he is convicted, Renfro could face the death penalty.

Attorneys hoped to select 44 candidates by early next week before continuing the voir dire, which is the final interview phase. In voir dire, the number of potential jurors is winnowed down to 16, including 12 jurors and four alternates, said jury commissioner Pete Barnes.

In the trial’s guilt phase, jurors must determine if Renfro pulled the trigger on May 5, 2015, the night Moore died. In the penalty phase, jurors will decide if the death penalty is warranted.

Many of the candidates from the first phase were released earlier this week, opening the door for candidates from the second panel to begin the selection process.

Candidates are questioned in front of fellow jury candidates, and privately.

Jurors who voiced strongly held beliefs against, or in favor of, the death penalty were released before the process began.

“They need a total of 44 jurors to participate in the voir dire process,” Barnes said. “I heard they’ve got 25 right now.”

Voir dire will likely begin by the middle of next week.

“No telling how long that takes,” Barnes said. “They are making good progress in selecting the final 44 jurors for the voir dire.”