Judge won’t sequester jury in Luis Toledo triple murder trial
A judge ruled Friday that when Luis Toledo, who is accused of committing a triple murder, goes to trial next week in St. Augustine, the jury will not be sequestered.
The judge on Friday heard a number of defense motions and one from the state dealing with what can and can't be allowed in court and some procedures of trial.
The most critical issue decided, however was whether the jury will be sequestered and judge Raul Zambrano said they will not.
Defense attorneys for Toledo asked the judge to sequester the jury, then return them to Volusia County for the trial.
Once a jury is seated in St. Augustine, that jury will not be sequestered and the trial will play out in a St Johns County courtroom.
Toledo is accused of killing his wife Yessenia Suarez and her two children in their Deltona home in October of 2013 following a jealous rage after learning his wife was having an affair.
The bodies have never been found.
Toledo faces the possibility of a death sentence if convicted, and his attorneys are very concerned about publicity in today’s social media age.
“Because that information is at their fingertips, literally, that they can access it so quickly that causes us a problem in getting jurors selected, and then once trial starts, it really is a huge problem,” defense attorney Jeff Deen said.
Judge Zambrano said he will take every precaution, warning the seated jury several times every day not to talk about the case, watch television reports, internet streams, or read newspapers. He also said he will do his best to weed out potential jurors who have knowledge of the case and preconceived notions.
Jury selections begin Monday in St. Augustine. Officials have set aside the entire week for the jury selection, but the judge hopes to have a jury seated sooner so the actual trial can start next week as well.