Jury seated in bribery trial, first case connected to plot that led to judge’s shooting
Opening arguments set for Tuesday in Amada Milsap’s trial, after Tippecanoe County jury seated despite concerns about high-profile case.
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JURY SEATED IN BRIBERY TRIAL, FIRST CASE CONNECTED TO PLOT THAT LED TO JUDGE’S SHOOTING
A special judge’s backup plan that would have sent jury selection 40 miles away to Cass County wasn’t needed Monday, after 16 jurors from Tippecanoe County were seated in the felony bribery trial of Amanda Milsap, a Lafayette woman accused of conveying an offer from her ex-husband, Thomas Moss, in an alleged effort to sidetrack a trial he faced in January.
Milsap’s attorney, Earl McCoy, had asked for a change of venue in the case, saying that how prosecutors had lumped her charges into a larger alleged scheme that led to the Jan. 18 attempted murder of Judge Steven Meyer and his wife, Kim, had drawn intense media coverage that would have made finding an impartial jury from the Lafayette area impossible.
Cass County Superior Court 2 Judge Lisa Swaim – assigned to Milsap’s case and those of four others facing a dozen of more charges, including attempted murder – opted to give local voir dire a shot, saying she wanted to keep the trial in Tippecanoe County with a Tippecanoe County jury, if possible.
Monday proved to be a slog, marred by technical issues as Swaim worked to keep the large jury pool on the same page via Zoom, while they were split between the Tippecanoe Circuit Court courtroom and a waiting area across the street at the County Office Building.
The day also dragged on as Swaim asked potential jurors whether they had knowledge about the case. Early on, no hands went up in the jury box and in the gallery.
But when Swaim asked if they knew Steve Meyer, including his name among a list of investigators, witnesses, suspects and other key players in Milsap’s case, light bulbs seemed to come on.
