Jury selection under way for man found with body in trunk

PALMER — Jury selection is expected to continue today in the trial of Frank Adams.

Adams, 47, stands accused of murder for the 2007 death of his girlfriend Stacey Johnston, 42. Adams was pulled over for drunken driving in July of that year. Johnston was found in the back of his hatchback. Alaska State Troopers say she’d been bludgeoned to death.

Lawyers in the case have so far spent two days calling in jurors one by one.

Adams’ attorney, Scott Sterling, has expressed worries about the media coverage of his client’s case and the difficulties of finding a jury that hasn’t read too much about the case to be unbiased.

That’s why jurors are being questioned individually — so a juror who’s read about Adams doesn’t spill the beans to some other, as-yet untainted juror.

Thursday, the attorneys asked a wide-ranging series of questions. Sterling tried to determine how comfortable jurors were with the idea that he doesn’t have to do anything at trial but poke holes in the prosecutor’s case.

“Do you mind that Mr. Adams doesn’t have to prove anything?” he asked.

Most jurors said they didn’t. Many said they preferred it that way.

Prosecutor Rachel Gernat asked how folks felt about the possible evidence regarding alcohol. She was trying, she said, to find if anyone felt uncomfortable due to some past bad experiences with drinking.

The ability of jurors to sit on a trial that is expected to last for five to six weeks is what has both sides concerned.

Multiple jurors were dismissed because of the hardship that would cause.

On Tuesday of this week the attorneys in the case met to hash out a few pre-trial motions. Gernat had filed a motion asking that Superior Court Judge Beverly Cutler allow her to bring up evidence of a murder for which Adams was convicted at age 16.

In that case, Adams was convicted of a murder-for-hire in which he and a friend were paid to bludgeon and stab Air Force Col. Robert Cassell.

Gernat argued that the evidence was being offered to prove that Adams intended to kill Johnston, since he certainly knew a beating could be fatal.

“The prolonged nature of it and the violence of it are similar to this act,” Gernat said.

Sterling opposed letting the murder in, saying it was so long ago and so inflammatory that it would not prove anything in this case and would only prejudice the jury against his client.

Cutler held off on making a ruling, saying that a situation might well arise at trial where the information could come in.

“If anybody’s going to go there, you need to bring it to the bench,” she said.

Gernat also asked for permission to bring up past domestic violence between Adams and Johnston and evidence of past relationships Adams had in which he was abusive.

Sterling opposed letting that evidence in, saying that they were not going towards proving the evidence at issue in this case.

“He’s not accused of any crime of domestic violence in this case,” Sterling argued, saying that the state was, “Using it to bolster the weakness of its case.”

Cutler sided with Gernat, saying that to say a murder isn’t a domestic violence crime is misinterpreting the intention of the law.

Jury selection is expected to last into today and possibly into Monday.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.