1/14/13 - The trial of 66-year-old Jerome Kowalski resumed this morning with a motion by the defense to declare a mistrial, which was denied by a local judge. Prosecutors accuse Kowalski of killing his brother and sister-in-law in their Oceola Township home in 2008. Before proceedings began today, one of the jurors told 53rd District Court Judge Theresa Brennan that he and other jurors felt unsafe after being seen by members of Kowalski's family who were present as witnesses. That prompted Defense Attorney Walter Piszczatowski to make a motion for a mistrial. He said the jurors would be biased against the defense because they felt unsafe around witnesses who were relatives of the defendant but not around those who were police officers, who generally spoke on behalf of the defense. Judge Brennan interviewed each member of the jury individually and found that only the one juror had strong feelings in the case. She did not grant the motion for mistrial, but did excuse the juror. Only 12 jurors and one alternate now remain. Most of the testimony today came from expert witnesses, including a firearms and tool mark examiner who said the bullets used in the killings did not match any of the known weapons in the case. Testimony was also offered regarding DNA evidence, blood patterns, footprints, fingerprints, and handwriting on a small note found at the scene. While some of the evidence was inconclusive, none of it directly tied Kowalski to the killing. (TD)
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