Jury nearly seated for trial of defendant in double Southie slaying

The man accused of killing two engaged doctors in their South Boston penthouse in 2017 appeared at ease Tuesday during the jury selection for his trial, giving his attorney thumbs-up and thumbs-down approval for potential jurors and interacting with media.

Bampumim Teixeira is alleged to have bound and stabbed anesthesiologists Richard Field and Lina Bolanos, who were engaged, in May 2017 in their $2 million home at the Macallen Building in South Boston before responding police officers shot him twice. He’s pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges and his two-week trial could start as soon as Thursday.

Six women and two men were seated on the jury Tuesday after prosecutors and Teixeira’s attorney, Steve Sack, went through 95 prospective jurors at Suffolk County Superior Court. Teixeira, uncuffed while seated at the jury selection table, wore a white T-shirt and yellow pants.

Sack asked each prospective juror if they would judge Teixeira differently because of his simple appearance, versus the lawyers and judge wearing ties.

“I have a son that dresses exactly like him,” a former cybersecurity employee and eventual seated juror said, drawing a smile from Teixeira when he turned to discuss her selection with Sack in a side discussion.

A minister was excused after Teixeira gave Sack multiple thumbs-down motions and shook his head to Sack during another sidebar discussion. Teixeira also gave a thumbs-up for a juror who said her father was a retired police officer.

When a TV cameraman was told by a court officer to return to the jury selection room later in the afternoon, Teixeira turned and said a quick word to the cameraman. Teixeira gestured before the lunch break toward a reporter seated in the near-empty courtroom before being asked to turn around, and also appeared to pose for a Herald photographer.

Several students were excused by Judge Mitchell Kaplan, while Sack passed on other jurors Kaplan found to be impartial. A few hospital employees and nurses were also dismissed. Kaplan repeated the same explanation for other jurors who said they read or watched news about the killings in the past.

“As I pointed out, a horrible crime happened,” Kaplan said. “That’s not the issue. The issue is who did it.”

After Sack moved to excuse one juror, Kaplan raised his eyebrows and sighed.  At one point, 24 consecutive people were excused before a juror was seated.

Jury selection will resume 9 a.m. Wednesday, with an anticipated two-week trial starting Thursday.

Teixeira, of West Africa, was previously allowed to remain in the country on a Green Card and avoid deportation before the doctors were slain, after he struck a plea deal on a bank robbery charge, the Herald previously reported.

Bolanos, 38, was a pediatric anesthesiologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. Field, 49, ran Beverly-based North Shore Pain Management.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2Xt8fYK