Potential jurors in Peter Khill murder trial answer questions about bias and knowledge of the case

Lawyers screened potential jurors on Friday for possible racial biases and what, if anything, they already knew about the high-profile Hamilton murder trial of Peter Khill.

Khill, 32, is facing a second-degree murder charge after shooting Jon Styres, a 29-year-old from Six Nations of the Grand River back in 2016. Styres was trying to steal Khill's truck.

This will be Khill's third trial after being acquitted in 2018 and having the Supreme Court order another trial last year, only to have that end in a mistrial earlier this week.

The case had a particular notoriety back in 2016 because of its similarities to the death of Colton Boushie.

Jury selection took place for the new trial Friday, with Ontario Superior Court Justice Andrew Goodman, Crown prosecutor Sean Doherty and defence lawyer Jeffrey Manishen addressing 115 prospective jurors, looking to find 14 jurors and two alternates.

That's two more than the 12-person jury selected earlier this week before the mistrial.

Goodman, Doherty and Manishen found what they were looking for, selecting 11 women and three men as jurors. One juror appears to be a person of colour.

Khill pleads not guilty

Prospective jurors heard Khill shot and killed Styres during the early morning hours of Feb. 4, 2016 in front of Khill's home on Highway 56 southeast of Hamilton.

"How do you plead?" the court registrar asked Khill.

"Not guilty," said Khill, who was wearing a dark grey suit with a light grey tie.

"Are you ready for your trial?" asked the registrar.

"Yes," Khill said.

Jurors entered the courtroom separately to be questioned by Manishen or Doherty and speak with Goodman.

It was an all-day affair which every single juror having to enter the courtroom.

The lawyers told each juror although they can't control unconscious biases, they must be considered and the jurors need to have an open mind and make decisions without prejudice.

Why some potential jurors were excused

They asked potential jurors if they saw any news coverage about the case and if so, what they knew.

Most said they'd seen some media about the case, but only a few said they'd already formed an opinion about if Khill was guilty or not.

The lawyers and judges also asked if they had any bias, beliefs or preconceived opinions about Indigenous men.

Four potential jurors acknowledged having those biases.

The lawyers also reminded potential jurors of the fact the accused is white and the victim was Indigenous. 

Many people who were excused cited financial hardship and medical issues.

Two potential jurors were dismissed after telling the judge they had family members who were shot.

Another two said they had been burglary victims.

One person was excused after citing a language barrier and also saying he had a hard time understanding lawyers in movies.

The Crown will begin presenting evidence on Monday and Goodman said the trial will last three weeks.