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Potential jurors in Robinson trial told to expect graphic evidence
By Sue Miller Wiltz
OLATHE, Kansas (Court TV) -- Potential jurors in the trial of John Edward Robinson Sr. were told Wednesday to expect graphic evidence, including details of the suspect's sexual relationships with women and a videotape of him engaging in sadomasochistic sex acts with one of the victims. The victim seen on the tape is Suzette Trouten, a Michigan woman whose body was one of two found stuffed into barrels on the accused Kansas serial killer's rural property in June 2000. Defense attorney Sean O'Brien also warned potential jurors that Robinson had similar sexual relationships with victims Izabela Lewicka, of Indiana, who was killed in 1999, and Vickie Neufeld, a Texas woman who survived what she described as a brutal sadomasochistic encounter with Robinson at a hotel in the Kansas City suburbs. "I see some of you grinning," said O'Brien, noting the uncomfortable smiles on the faces of some jurors. "It's kind of hard to talk about. But these are practices that happen between consenting adults. And that will be Mr. Robinson's response to the charges brought by Ms. Neufeld. What I want to know is if there's anyone here who would have a hard time listening to that evidence and rendering a fair and impartial verdict?" There was silence in the courtroom. Upon further questioning, however, a few jurors admitted they had some reservations. For more than two weeks, the defense and prosecution have asked more than 250 jurors about their exposure to pretrial publicity and their attitudes about the death penalty. In the end, they passed 83 potential jurors to the third and final phase of jury selection, which began Wednesday morning. The narrowing jury pool got a hint of the seamy nature of the trial that is set to begin Monday with opening statements. The 58-year-old defendant is accused of killing a total of six women in Kansas and Missouri over a period of 15 years. Using the online name of "Slavemaster," Robinson allegedly lured at least a few of the women through Internet chat rooms with promises of money and jobs and requests for sadomasochistic sex. District Attorney Paul Morrison, of Johnson County, Kansas, where Robinson faces three murder counts, read the list of witnesses the state expects to call in the case, about 100 in all, including family members of several of the victims, detectives, police officers and FBI agents. He asked whether anyone had a personal relationship with any of the witnesses and, if so, to detail those relationships. Morrison also asked how many of the potential jurors were teachers, had a background in nursing, medicine or dentistry, a specialized knowledge of DNA, genetics, or computers. He then asked if they had trouble with gory pictures -- but promised that there wouldn't be too many -- and with listening to evidence about BDSM (which stands for bondage discipline sadomasochism). "There will be a lot of talk about this stuff," he said. "Does anyone find this so disturbing that it will be difficult to listen to the evidence? Remember, these charges are not about what someone's sex practices are." Again, not one juror raised his hand. After several hours of questioning, the court dismissed seven of the 40 jurors, including a special agent for the Secret Service who knew several police officers who will testify in the case, a woman who felt squeamish at the sight of gory pictures and a few jurors who had trouble with Robinson's sadomasochistic practices. On Thursday, the court will interview 43 more jurors. Friday, it will choose which 12 jurors and five alternates will be seated to hear the evidence against Robinson. In Kansas, Robinson faces capital murder charges in the bludgeoning deaths of Lewicka, 21, and Trouten, 27. He also faces first-degree murder charges in connection with Lisa Stasi, 19, who disappeared with her four-month-old daughter, Tiffany, in 1985. (He avoided a capital murder charge in that case because Kansas did not have the death penalty at the time.) Robinson is charge with killing Lisa and arranging for his brother and sister-in-law, Don and Helen Robinson, to adopt Tiffany, pocketing $5,500 for his services. Lisa's body has never been found. Once the Kansas case is completed, Robinson will face trial on three counts of capital murder in Cass County, Missouri, in the bludgeoning deaths of three women found in his storage locker. A former correspondent for Newsweek and People Weekly, Sue Miller Wiltz is currently writing a book about Robinson for Pinnacle Books. She is covering the trial for Courttv.com.
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