Jury selected for trial of men accused of plotting to kidnap Whitmer

A jury has been selected for the trial of four men who are accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D).

Eleven women and seven men will serve as jurors in the trial, according to The Associated Press, with 12 determining the outcome of the case and six serving as alternates. The court, however, did not specify which jurors will be alternates.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker told the jurors on Tuesday to refrain from using social media and abstain from discussing the case with family members, according to the AP.

Some potential jurors were dismissed amid the selection process for having political bias, a distrust toward the government, a predetermined conclusion regarding the defendants or scheduling conflicts, the news wire reported.

Adam Fox, Brandon Caserta, Barry Croft Jr. and Daniel Harris are all on trial on accusations that they planned violence against an elected official, according to the AP. They were brought into the courtroom on Tuesday in handcuffs and leg restraints.

Open statements are set to be delivered on Wednesday, according to the AP.

Prosecutors have argued that the four defendants were frustrated by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions imposed by Whitmer and as a result took key steps over a number of months to plan a plot against the governor, according to the AP. Those steps included communicating through covert messaging and participating in gun drills in the woods.

The prosecutors are reportedly planning to show secret recordings and other evidence regarding the defendants, including proof that they went to examine the governor’s vacation home and were preparing for the kidnapping with weapons and explosives.

The defense, however, has contended that the defendants did not have plans to kidnap Whitmer, according to the AP. They have also reportedly condemned the government for using undercover FBI agents and other confidential sources.

Six men were arrested in connection to the kidnapping plot. Two of them — Kaleb Franks and Ty Garbin — have pleaded guilty. Franks confessed to kidnapping conspiracy, and Garbin signed a plea agreement that admitted to helping form a plan to kidnap Whitmer and blow up a bridge to stop law enforcement from stopping them.

The defense had previously asked that the case be dismissed, but that request was denied, according to Fox 17.