Opening statements are set for Thursday morning in the fourth murder trial of a Latin Kings gang leader accused of ordering the murder of a 23-year-old woman to ensure her silence after she witnessed the abduction of a fellow gang member.
Jose “Boom Bat” Negrete
Two weeks after attorneys began the process of selecting, whittling down and peppering a pool of more than 100 prequalified prospective jurors with questions about their thoughts on gangs and whether the defendant’s gang ties would impact their ability to serve fairly and impartially, they came away Wednesday with a panel of 16 jurors for the trial of Jose “Boom Bat” Negrete, who is charged with ordering the Aug. 30, 2004 murder of 23-year-old Jeri Lynn Dotson.
The 16-member panel, which includes four alternates who will be selected randomly before the beginning of deliberations, consists of nine women and seven men, said Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
Only 12 jurors will determine whether Negrete ordered the killing of the mother of two, who suffered a gunshot to the back of the head in an execution-style slaying after she witnessed the abduction of gang member Alex Ruiz. Her body was left inside her Trenton home with her two young children.
Negrete is also accused of ordering the hit on Ruiz after he reportedly instructed three gang members to go to the house and abduct him. After that, prosecutors said, the gang members choked Ruiz and left him for dead in a dumpster on Duck Island, but he survived.
Opening statements are set for 10:30 a.m., barring the closure of state offices for inclement weather.
Tom Meidt, the lead assistant prosecutor handling the case, is being assisted by Assistant Prosecutor John Boyle. Negrete is represented by attorney Jack Furlong, of Furlong & Krasny.
In 2009, Negrete was found guilty of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to murder but had his conviction overturned by an appellate court because a juror reportedly knew the father of Dotson’s children and provided prejudicial information to respective jurors that wasn’t a part of evidence at trial.
Negrete’s first trial in 2008 ended with a hung jury and another trial was scuttled before jury selection.