Maxwell Anderson trial: Broadcast preparations underway ahead of jury selection
MILWAUKEE (CBS) -- Milwaukee will again be in the national spotlight when the Maxwell Anderson murder trial begins Tuesday, May 27. Anderson faces murder charges in connection to the death of Sade Robinson.
Because there is so much interest in the case, extensive planning is already underway behind the scenes to ensure we bring you the best coverage.
Those issues were discussed at length in a Thursday, May 22, meeting with the judge to talk about how this trial will be covered.
The first step will be jury selection. And it may not be the easiest task in such a high profile case.
The first pool of 50 candidates will enter the 6th floor courtroom at 8:30 in the morning. 30 more potential jurors will come in that afternoon. They'll watch two preparation videos, then attorneys for the state and Anderson will start whittling down the group.
Milwaukee Defense Attorney Julius Kim says the selection process is often more like a de-selection process. "You're trying to find people that you think might be biased against your case or might be leaning one way or another from the very outset."
The judge hopes to have 12 jurors seated by the end of the first day, 14 alternates will also be picked. They will listen to every moment of the trial alongside the jury.
Kim told us the strategy for picking a jury is the same in every case: to find jurors that are fair, open minded, and reasonable.
He said, ideally, the attorneys will find people who have not heard of the case, so they haven't had an opportunity to form an opinion.
But that's sometimes impossible, especially for a high-profile case like this one with so much pre-trial publicity.
In that event, attorneys look for people who can put away their bias. "If they know about the case, to express the opinion that they can set aside any preconceived ideas or anything they've heard about the case before trial," Kim said.
The trial will start after the jury is seated.
The state is expected to present a lot of evidence, and much of it may be gruesome. And that means gender roles could play a role in a trial focusing on violence against a woman.
Kim said, "You have to be careful in selecting a jury, that you don't pick a jury panel or pick jurors that are going to be swayed by their own fears or their own emotions."
The jurors will be sworn to not have contact with anyone else about the case, to not communicate and not be online. Kim told us, "We rely on jurors to be forthright and candid and honest, in terms of their answers, and hopefully we get the right jurors on a case and we can get to a fair outcome."
CBS 58 will have access to several robotic cameras inside the courtroom that will show witness testimony, the judge and attorneys, and Maxwell Anderson himself.
We will stream every moment of the trial, from when they gavel in at 8:30 a.m. until they adjourn in the afternoon.
You can watch it all on our website and social media pages when the trial starts Tuesday.