Wichita, KS – When George Tiller is tried next week by a jury of his peers, it will be a jury of six, not twelve, as Tiller’s attorneys had requested. This is another blow to the Tiller legal team that had requested the special privilege of a twelve person jury, even though Kansas law mandates a jury of six for misdemeanor cases.
This morning Assistant Attorney General Barry Disney told a potential jury pool of 16 people that he expects the trial to last for only two days, and that he will put on two or three witnesses to prove that Tiller and abortionist Ann Kristen Neuhaus had a financial and legal affiliation that was prohibited by the laws of Kansas.
Disney also told the jury pool that he was required to prove five elements in order to gain a conviction of Tiller, and that four of those elements have been stipulated to, meaning that the defense agrees on the truth of those elements and does not dispute them.
Three jurors so far have been excused. Tiller’s attorneys are expected to question the potential witnesses this afternoon.
Rev. Patrick Mahoney and Troy Newman conducted a press conference and led a group of supporters prayer before the proceedings.
Operation Rescue will be in the court room throughout the proceedings and encourage people to listen to the Bott Radio Network for the latest updates provided by Troy Newman. Operation Rescue is also posting updates during the breaks at twitter.com/operationrescue.
[Watch for our photo gallery later in the day.]