MANKATO, Minn. – The judge in the murder trial of Winonan Adam Favel hopes to seat a 12th and final juror on Monday. Judge Nany Buytendorp had expected to finish jury selection last week, but interviewing jurors took longer than scheduled. Mostly this was due to extensive probing by Fravel’s attorney for biases flowing from knowledge about the case or from attitudes and personal experiences. Judicial rules allow the defense to remove 15 jurors from the pool. Last week Fravel’s defense used 10 of these strikes. Prosecutors are allowed five strikes and exercised two. The selection process doesn’t end with 12 jurors. There will remain five alternate jurors to be selected. The alternates n will sit in on the trial as backups for anyone on the 12-persoon jury who needs to quit for illness or other reason
Trial site. The Favel trial is at the sprawling Blue Earth County Justice Center that opened in 2009 on the city’s outskirts. Courtrooms are on the second floor. Fravel is held on-site at the county jail, which has 116 cells in six housing units. During the day during courtroom recesses Fravel is in a holding cell connected by a secure elevator to the courtroom. For courtroom appearances last week to witness jury selection, Fravel was in a coat and tie that appeared fresh every day.