CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Day one of jury selection wrapped up Tuesday afternoon in the murder trial of a man who prosecutors say shot and killed a Daytona Beach police officer.
Othal Wallace is facing the death penalty if convicted of the murder of officer Jason Raynor. Investigators said Wallace shot him in June of 2021.
Out of the 69-person jury pool that started Tuesday, 32 still remained at the end of the day.
The candidates are going through tough questioning, but it’s the makeup of the jury that is the main reason the trial was moved to Clay County.
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Just a few months ago, Wallace’s defense team asked for a change in venue. They argued that it would be difficult to find an impartial jury in Volusia County because of how much coverage this case has received.
The jurors faced several rounds of questions Tuesday.
Wallace, his defense team, the state prosecutors from Volusia, and Judge Raul Zambrano will be making the trip up for the next few weeks.
Once the jury is selected, Wallace’s defense team is going to argue Wallace shot Raynor back in 2021 in self-defense and the state will argue it was not and Raynor was acting lawfully when he approached Wallace to question him about a possibly stolen car.
If they can’t get a 12-person jury and four alternates in this pool, they will bring in another pool on Thursday.
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