Sarah Kolb trial begins

In what will undoubtedly prove to be a showcase trial for all involved, drawing enormous amounts of publicity even on a nationwide scale, the trial of Sarah Kolb, the now 17 year old charged with the grisly murder of 16 year old Adrianne Reynolds.

8 of the 12 jurors who will hear the case were seated today, with jury selection to continue Tuesday morning, with opening arguments slated to begin Wednesday.

Politically, this is Terronez's golden moment, but he's going up against some very tough opposition in public defender Dave Hoffman, an experienced, tough, tenacious, and very sharp attorney in his own right.

Of interest is the fact that another defendant, Cory Gregory, was not listed on the witness list for the prosecution.

Cory C. Gregory, 17, of Moline, is also charged with murder in the case. Nathan Gaudet, 16, of Moline, pleaded guilty in March to concealing a homicide in connection with the case.

During jury selection this morning, prospective jurors were read a list of 46 names of people who may testify for the state, and a list of 28 names of people who may testify for the defense. Mr. Gregory, who last week was negotating with prosecutors about the possibility of testifying against Ms. Kolb, was not among those listed by the state. Mr. Gaudet was listed, as were various police officers, forensic experts and teachers and students from the Black Hawk Outreach Center.

Twelve jurors and two alternates will be chosen to hear the evidence. Selection of the 14 was expected to take up to two days, and the presentation of evidence about 10 days to two weeks.

State's Attorney Jeff Terronez is the lead prosecutor. Public Defender David Hoffman is the lead defense attorney. The trial is being held in the Rock Island County Justice Center.

Ms. Kolb, dressed in black slacks, a white turtleneck and a gray sweater, turned occasionally and smiled at members of her family. She was arrested and charged in the case Jan. 26, hours after Ms. Reynolds body was found. She's been in custody since.

NOTE: this is an old story on this case. To get to the main page, click here and scroll down for a more recent post.

To get to a post on the verdict, click here.