KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 70 new potential jurors were examined in St. Charles County Tuesday for the trial of accused double murderer Kylr Yust.
Yust is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Kara Kopetsky of Belton and Jessica Runions of Raymore.
In the second day of jury selection, 71 people were informed about the case and asked about potential biases or hardships.
Of the 71, 33 said the commitment to a three-week trial in Cass County would be a hardship, citing work and child care reasons.
Nine of the possible jurors had previously been impacted by domestic violence but none felt that affected their impartiality.
Yust has a history of domestic violence and had been romantically involved with Kopetsky and Runions.
Several of the members seated Tuesday also had connections to law enforcement.
One of Yust’s defense attorneys asked them specifically if they gave more credibility to a law enforcement officer’s testimony than to a layperson’s.
Most of those questioned said they could remain unbiased but a couple said they would give police more credit.
One such potential juror had a son-in-law who was on the front lines of the police force during protests against racial injustices last summer.
Two jurors said they had a negative perception of people with tattoos.
In the end, the prosecution and defense teams released 44 of the people questioned Tuesday.
The remaining 27 were asked to report again Wednesday in addition to 53 from Monday’s session.
A jury for the case, set to go to trial next Monday, could be finalized Wednesday.
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41 Action News has produced a six-part podcast series with details about the case as Yust heads to trial next week. Listen in the player below or via your preferred podcast platform.
41 Action News is committed to bringing you complete coverage of the trial of Kylr Yust, the man accused in the murders of Kara Kopetsky and Jessica Runions. Visit kshb.com/yusttrial for all our stories, case details, timeline and more.
