A jury has been chosen to decide the fate of a maintenance worker accused of stabbing his boss to death at Suburban Hospital.
Eight women and seven men were selected to serve as the 12 jurors and three alternates who will hear the case against 50-year-old Keith D. Little, starting Tuesday morning.
The jury was selected late Monday afternoon after five hours of questioning by Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Marielsa Bernard and attorneys in the case.
Little is charged with first-degree murder in the New Year’s Day stabbing death of 40-year-old Roosevelt Brockington Jr. Prosecutors allege that Little stabbed Brockington more than 70 times after Little received a poor performance review.
Brockington was found slain in the Bethesda hospital’s basement boiler room.
Ninety prospective jurors were brought in for questioning. Nearly one-third of them said they had heard of Little’s case. Those jurors were questioned individually about their knowledge of the case.
None of the jurors, however, said they had formed an opinion about Little’s guilt or innocence.
The prospective jurors were told they would see photographs of stab wounds and asked whether they would have difficulty seeing or discussing such evidence. They were also asked whether they had experience in forensic pathology, DNA or cell tower operations — all areas in which experts are slated to testify during the trial.
The potential jurors were asked whether they knew Little, any of the attorneys or any potential witnesses. They were also questioned about any prior involvement in criminal proceedings, whether they have beliefs about the justice system that would make them unable to reach an impartial verdict and whether they would be able to base their verdict only on evidence shown in court.
Opening statements are scheduled for Tuesday morning.
The case isn’t the first time Little has been accused of killing a co-worker: He was charged in the 2003 slaying of a coworker at Realty
Management Associates, where he used to work, but was found not guilty at a jury trial. Prosecutors had sought to introduce evidence from that killing at his Montgomery trial, but Bernard denied their motion to do so.
Brockington had worked as the hospital’s lead engineer in the plant operations department since August 2006.
