Judge thins jury pool for Prall murder trial
TRENTON – A third group of 70 prospective jurors is being brought before a Superior Court judge this afternoon to determine how many of them are qualified to face questioning about serving at the trial of suspected brother killer Tormu Prall.
Tormu Prall
From 69 brought in on Monday, Mercer Superior Court Judge Andrew Smithson gleaned 22 people without reasons to be excused from service.
This morning, 23 of 70 didn’t have excuse enough and made the cut.
Smithson said going through another 70 this afternoon should leave enough qualified jurors for himself and the opposing lawyers to question and challenge and still arrive at a panel of 12 and two alternates.
Tormu Prall is accused of murder, aggravated arson and other offense for allegedly firing a firebomb through the bedroom window of his brother, John Prall, the morning of Sept. 25, 2007.
John Prall
The brother died four days later of severe burns. John Prall’s girlfriend suffered burns over 40 percent of her body when the flames engulfed the bed they were sleeping in.
