12 jurors selected for Messel trial
NASHVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Twelve jurors have been selected in the trial of Daniel Messel, the Brown County man accused of murdering Indiana University student Hannah Wilson.
After three days, the court narrowed jurors down to four men, eight women and four alternates.
Some jurors had been showing up since Thursday as the judge, defense and prosecution filtered through the hundreds of people in the pool. Officials hoped to eliminate biased jurors.
One juror knew seven different people on the list of witnesses set to testify. He was eliminated.
Brown County Prosecutor Ted Adams promised there would be grizzly photographs shown during the trial, presumably of the crime scene. Messel’s demeanor was calm. He didn’t seem anxious or nervous and even smiled throughout the day. He also looked jurors in the eye as they spoke.
Messel is charged in the brutal murder of 22-year-old Wilson from Fishers. She was last seen by friends at Kilroy’s Sports Bar in Bloomington on April 24, 2015, according to court documents.
Friends told investigators that she got into a taxi around 1 a.m. Later that morning, her body was discovered off Plum Creek Road in Brown County. Her skull had been crushed, according to court documents. She died of blunt force trauma to the head, the coroner said.
Opening statements are expected when Messel’s trial resumes Tuesday morning at the Brown County Courthouse.