May 5th, 2010
Daily Republic
VALLEJO — Jury selection got under way Wednesday for the trial of the ex-convict accused of shooting and killing Fairfield City Councilman Matt Garcia.
The effort to find 12 impartial citizens began with scores of potential jurors filling out lengthy questionnaires inquiring about their backgrounds and any familiarity they may have with the crime and the accused, Henry D. Williams.
The jury pool was cleaved by more than 40 percent by mid-morning with dozens of potential jurors explaining it would be a severe hardship for them to sit in a jury trial expected to take two to three weeks.
Potential jurors who did not claim a hardship left the courthouse by 10:30 a.m. after being ordered to return Thursday morning when Judge Rob Bowers, prosecutor George Williamson and defense attorney John Mendenhall will question potential jurors individually.
As Bowers and the lawyers met with potential jurors claiming hardship, Garcia's family and loved ones watched silently, filling most of the gallery chairs in the small courtroom.
Attorneys expect a jury will be impaneled Thursday and will return to the courthouse May 12 for opening statements and the start of the prosecution's case against Williams.
On Friday, another pool of potential jurors will convene at the courthouse to begin the selection process for the trial of Williams' alleged accomplice, Gene A. Combs. The jurors chosen for Combs' trial will begin hearing testimony shortly after Williams' trial draws to a close.
Both Williams, 33, and Combs, 46, are facing murder charges and related felony charges for Garcia's killing in September 2008.
On the night of Sept. 1, Williams and Combs were in Cordelia trying to locate a friend who they believed had pocketed $50 Combs had given him for methamphetamine, according to testimony at the pair's probable cause hearing.
Garcia, 22, drove past the car the pair were in and Williams mistakenly thought Garcia was the friend. When Garcia got out of his car, about 50 yards down the street, Williams allegedly fired several shots at him. One shot struck Garcia in the back of the head.
Reach Jess Sullivan at 427-6919 or jsullivan@dailyrepublic.net.
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