Page 2 of 7 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 62

Thread: Kevin Charles Isom - Indiana Death Row

  1. #11
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Judge warns: Jury duty or jail

    A potential juror in the upcoming death penalty murder trial of a Gary man narrowly avoided jail herself Thursday.

    Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas P. Stefaniak Jr. ordered his administrator Martin Goldman to arrest a woman who failed to fill out a questionnaire the court mailed to 500 potential jurors earlier this year.

    The form is to help lawyers decide who to pick to hear evidence against defendant Kevin Isom.

    Stefaniak gave the unidentified woman a chance to come to court Thursday to explain herself, but she failed to appear during the pretrial hearing. Stefaniak said he was prepared to send the woman to jail if she continued in her refusal.

    However, the woman finally showed up at the Lake County court building late Thursday morning with a completed questionnaire, which got her out of further trouble.

    Stefaniak ordered Goldman to provide the court with demographics, including home addresses, of another 44 potential jurors who haven't filled out juror qualification forms.

    Stefaniak said Thursday he is going to unprecedented lengths to ensure Isom receives a fair trial from a jury of his peers.

    Isom is pleading innocent to charges he fatally shot his wife of 12 years, Cassandra Isom, 40, and her two children, Michael Moore, 16, and Ci'Andria Cole, 13, on Aug. 6, 2007, at the family's Lakeshore Dunes apartment in Gary's Miller section.

    Defense lawyers said they are concerned about getting enough blacks on the jury because Isom is black. Blacks represent 26 percent of Lake County's population, according to the 2010 census.

    The trial is expected to begin the week of Sept. 26 and could last into mid-October. The jury will be sequestered for the trial's duration.

    http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/l...#ixzz1U6uKE2Sf

  2. #12
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Judge vows racial justice for murder defendant and prosecutors

    Lake County's race history could be in the docket next month along with a Gary man going on trial for death penalty murder.

    Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr., lawyers for Kevin Isom and the prosecutor's office have spent more than four months combing through a randomly selected list of 500 county residents for an impartial jury.

    Isom is pleading not guilty to charges he fatally shot his wife of 12 years, Cassandra Isom, 40, and her two children, Michael Moore, 16, and Ci'Andria Cole, 13, on Aug. 6, 2007, at the family's Lakeshore Dunes apartment in Gary's Miller section.

    The prosecutor will seek the death penalty when the trial begins Sept. 26.

    Stefaniak acknowledged this week from the bench during a pretrial hearing jury selection will be difficult given the life-or-death stakes involved, and that Isom is a black man in a county where a debate remains whether he can get a fair verdict and sentence from the majority of county white residents.

    To prove his zeal to provide a jury pool with a fair cross-section of the county's minority population, Stefaniak has been taking what he calls unprecedented steps.

    He ordered two black women in that group of 500 who hadn't completed juror questionnaires into his courtroom Thursday to explain why. He ordered the arrest of one of them who didn't appear at Thursday's hearing but who showed up. Both filled out their questionnaires.

    The judge further ordered his staff to investigate the demographics of an additional 44 no-shows.

    "This is above and beyond the call of duty, but the more people who fill out jury qualification forms from this random pool gives the defendant the greatest chance of having a jury of his peers and to take prospective appeal issues off the table," Stefaniak said.

    Stefaniak said he would not tolerate lawyers using race as an excuse to exclude whites from a jury.

    The judge came under attack for his handling five years ago of jury selection in the death penalty trial of Darryl Jeter, a 24-year-old black Chicago man convicted of murdering 27-year-old Indiana State Police Trooper Scott Patrick in 2003.

    Jeter's lawyers argued to the Indiana Supreme Court that Stefaniak denied Jeter a fair trial by thwarting their strategy to exclude white jurors.

    They justified striking whites from the jury on grounds "racism was so inherent in the jury-selection process that especially in the case of a black defendant and a white victim, a black defendant has the greatest risk of receiving a death sentence when white males serve on the jury."

    Stefaniak, who was speaking publicly about this for the first time, said he permitted Jeter's defense lawyers to exclude whites from the jury panel until four blacks were seated on the 12-member jurors -- a reflection that blacks constitute one-quarter of the county's population.

    Stefaniak blocked further defense efforts to exclude white jurors he thought were racially motivated. That 2006 jury of two white males, two white females, two Hispanic males, two Hispanic females, three black females and one black male convicted Jeter, but refused to impose the death penalty.

    The Indiana Supreme Court upheld Stefaniak's jury selection on grounds Jeter only was entitled to an impartial jury from a fair cross-section of the county's demographics, not some hard quota.

    Isom has a different team of defense lawyers who has similar concerns about selecting a jury. Lake County public defender Casey McCloskey responded, "We are seeing the jury pool numbers skewed toward (white-dominated) south county."

    Stefaniak responded, "I will do everything in my power to have a fair trial."

    http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/l...#ixzz1ULiC9eV3

  3. #13
    These trials almost always end up in some plea agreement the final minute. I hope they proceed to trial with this case.

  4. #14
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    228 potential jurors selected; murder trial begins Sept. 26

    The pool from which jurors in Lake County's only death penalty case may be selected has topped out at 228.

    The months-long process began in March with Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. ordering notices sent to 500 prospective jurors.

    Jurors will determine the guilt or innocence of Kevin Isom, 45, in the shooting of his wife, Cassandra Isom, 40, and her two children, Michael Moore, 16, and Ci'Andria Cole, 13, on Aug. 6, 2007, at the family's home at Lakeshore Dunes Apartments in Miller.

    Potential jurors were questioned regarding, in part, their ability to participate in what potentially could be a three-week trial beginning Sept. 26.

    With the selection of the jury pool complete, Stefaniak on Wednesday set hearing dates for Wednesday and Sept. 9 on defense issues, including those related to mitigation experts and potential motions prior to trial.

    http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/l...#ixzz1W075IZgc

  5. #15
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Pretrial conference for Lake County death penalty case reset for October

    Lake County's lone death penalty case has been continued to February.

    Jury selection had been expected to begin Monday in the long-awaited trial of a Gary man charged with slaying his wife and two children.

    Kevin Isom, 45, is accused of shooting his wife, Cassandra Isom, 40, and her two children, Michael Moore, 16, and Ci'Andria Cole, 13, on Aug. 6, 2007, at the family's home at Lakeshore Dunes Apartments in Gary's Miller Beach neighborhood.

    Isom's trial had been slated for a possible three-week run before Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr.

    Instead, Stefaniak set a pretrial conference for Oct. 3 and a new trial date of Feb. 27.

    http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/l...#ixzz1YtjLxC59

  6. #16
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    New jurors sought for Isom death penalty case

    The 228-member jury pool for Lake County's only death penalty case won't be called on after all.

    The six-month selection process, completed just last month, in effect started all over again Monday.

    During Monday's hearing on the Kevin Isom case, Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. gave the go-ahead to both dismissing members of the current jury pool and sending out questionnaires to recruit a new one.

    Isom, 45, is accused of shooting his wife, Cassandra Isom, 40, and her two children, Michael Moore, 16, and Ci'Andria Cole, 13, on Aug. 6, 2007, at the family's home at Lakeshore Dunes Apartments in Gary's Miller Beach neighborhood.

    Isom's trial had been slated for a possible three-week period beginning Sept. 26. Isom's defense team, however, successfully sought a continuance to Feb. 27 arguing they hadn't had time to settle mitigation issues.

    Following Monday's hearing, Court Administrator Martin Goldman said while significant, disbanding the selected jury pool in the wake of the trial being reset was not unusual.

    "We've done this dance before," Goldman said.

    Goldman said the court took heed of members of the current jury pool saying they were facing scheduling conflicts with the trial moved to February.

    Stefaniak also expanded the number of questionnaires that would be going out from 500 to 650.

    Goldman said the court took into consideration it may be harder to recruit potential jurors because the trial period coincided with next year's spring break at the schools.

    http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/l...#ixzz1Zl4ahwWF

  7. #17
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    A plea deal once was debated in Isom death case

    Attorneys in the Kevin Isom death penalty murder case confirmed Friday there was once talk of settling the four-year-old case through a plea bargain.

    Isom, 45, is pleading not guilty to charges he fatally shot his wife, Cassandra Isom, 40, and her two children, Michael Moore, 16, and Ci'Andria Cole, 13, on Aug. 6, 2007, at the family's Lakeshore Dunes Apartments in Gary's Miller Beach neighborhood.

    Isom is being represented by his second team of defense lawyers, the case has cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars, and now court officials have begun assembling their second pool of more than 500 potential jurors for a three-week trial beginning in late February.

    A majority of Lake Criminal cases end in negotiated plea bargains in which the prosecutor offers the defendant leniency in return for a guilty plea that eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming jury trials.

    "This case has been going on a long time. Have there been any plea offers?" Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak asked prosecution and defense lawyers at a pre-trial hearing Friday morning.

    David Urbanski, a trial supervisor for the Lake County prosecutor's office, told Stefaniak the late Nick Thiros, a defense lawyer who represented Isom from 2007 until 2010 had discussions with the prosecutor about a deal, "but nothing was ever reduced to writing."

    Public Defender Herbert Shaps, who now represents Isom, said he is familiar with those earlier talks, but added,"nothing else needs to proceed in that regard."

    Stefaniak had no further questions about the subject.

    The lawyers decided to eliminate one potential juror because of financial hardship since he was a small businessman who couldn't take off more than three weeks to hear testimony and issue a verdict.

    They will return to court next month to resolve more pre-trial issues.

    http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/l...#ixzz1fQ5KIGmT

  8. #18
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Money needed for Isom trial juror expenses

    Money set aside last year by the Lake County Council to cover juror expenses for the death penalty case of a Gary man charged with killing his wife and stepchildren is gone, but the judge presiding over the case said he will submit a new request.

    Lake Superior Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. told attorneys in the case involving Kevin Charles Isom that he was informed the money reverted back to the county at the end of the fiscal year.

    Isom’s trial has been delayed several times, but now is scheduled to begin Feb. 26 and is likely to last about four weeks.

    Stefaniak said $50,000 would be requested for transportation, housing and food for the jury, which will be sequestered once the trial begins.

    Meanwhile, jury administrator Martin Goldman said 264 jury questionnaires have been completed and returned. Goldman is waiting on 20 more to be returned. Those individuals will be given until Jan. 13 to submit their questionnaires. If they fail to do so, they will be ordered to appear in court Jan. 20.

    Isom, 46, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder in the shooting deaths of his wife, Cassandra Isom, 40; and her two children, Michael Moore, 16, and Ci’Andria Cole, 13. Isom also has pleaded not guilty to four counts of attempted murder involving Gary police officers who responded Aug. 6, 2007, to his apartment in the Lakeshore Dunes Apartments in Gary’s Miller section, where the homicides occurred.

    Isom told police his wife was upset that he was not working and she was paying all the bills herself and had told him she planned to leave him, court records state.

    http://posttrib.suntimes.com/9855477...-expenses.html

  9. #19
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Death penalty jury pool 270 deep for Isom murder trial

    Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. and lawyers in a death penalty murder case appear to have more than 270 potential jurors for the upcoming trial.

    Kevin Isom, 46, of Gary, is pleading not guilty to charges he fatally shot his wife, Cassandra Isom, 40, and her two children, Michael Moore, 16, and Ci'Andria Cole, 13, on Aug. 6, 2007, at the family's home in Lakeshore Dunes Apartments in Gary's Miller Beach neighborhood.

    Martin Goldman, the court's administrator, said he started with a pool of 650 persons who could serve on the jury, but he has excused many of them for a variety of reasons.

    He said only eight of the remaining eligible persons have yet to fill out a detailed questionnaire lawyers need to determine whether potential jurors have any biases that would prevent a fair verdict.

    Goldman said his staff will attempt to reach the eight in person to determine why they have yet to respond to court orders to make themselves available for the trial.

    http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/l...#ixzz1k99pQ1HD

  10. #20
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Jury selection in triple-murder trial grinds forward

    The painstaking process of laying the groundwork to pick a jury in the death-penalty murder trial of a Gary man accused of killing his wife and stepchildren continued as Lake Superior Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. said he will rule on excusing jurors.

    Court administrator Martin Goldman presented a breakdown of individuals who would qualify for being excused from the pool of prospective jurors for a variety of reasons, from not meeting citizenship, age or residency requirements, to medical issues or criminal records.

    Stefaniak said his interpretation of court rules on jury selection show he must make that decision, not Goldman. The judge directed Goldman to prepare an electronic report for him, deputy prosecutors David Urbanski and Michelle Jatkiewicz and defense attorneys Herbert Shaps and Casey McCloskey, which they will consider at a Feb. 13 hearing.

    Isom, 46, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the shooting deaths of his wife, Cassandra Isom, 40, and her two children, Michael Moore, 16, and Ci’Andria Cole, 13. His trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 27 and could last three to four weeks. He also has pleaded not guilty to four counts of attempted murder involving Gary police officers who arrived Aug. 6, 2007, at the Lakeshore Dunes Apartments in the Miller section of Gary, where Isom barricaded himself.

    Friday’s hearing was one in a series regarding jury selection in the case. From a pool of 650 possible jurors, the spotlight is focusing on a handful of prospective jurors who have not met their jury service obligation.

    Last week, as punishment for not returning to a hearing after a lunch break, Justin Humphries opted to carry a sign in front of the courts building instead of paying a monetary fine or serving time in jail. His punishment is two Monday mornings — which is jury-selection day — with a sign, “I failed to appear for jury duty.”

    At the court’s direction, Goldman attempted to track down the remaining four people who responded to the initial letter but hadn’t returned their 54-page questionnaires. Goldman said he heard from one prospective juror — identified in open court as juror No. 121, Matthew Frey, 32, of Merrillville — who completed the survey but hadn’t returned it and was afraid he’d be arrested after reading a recent newspaper article about Humphries, Goldman said.

    Stefaniak ordered Frey to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 13.

    Goldman said he and an assistant went to four addresses of the jurors, but the homes appeared vacant. Stefaniak told Goldman not to devote additional resources to locating the three prospective jurors and excused them for cause.

    http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/la...s-forward.html

Page 2 of 7 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •