MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) - An attorney for a Northwood man charged with first-degree murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend is raising concerns about the lack of racial diversity among the trial’s jury pool.
Trial for 40-year-old Tyrone Washington Jr., who is African-American, is scheduled to start Oct. 20 in Webster County.
But defense attorney Charles Kenville tells the Mason City Globe Gazette (https://bit.ly/TrERjJ ) that his examination of questionnaires from the 122 potential jurors reveals there may be only one African-American on the panel.
Washington is accused of fatally stabbing 30-year-old Justina Smith, also of Northwood, last year.
Census numbers show the percentage of African-Americans in Webster County is between 4 and 5 percent.
Kenville says he will investigate why the number of African-Americans in the jury pool appears to be so small.
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Information from: Globe Gazette, https://www.globegazette.com/
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