1,200 Called as Famalaro Jury Process Begins

Crowding into the corridors of Orange County Superior Court on Monday, some people jokingly wondered aloud if they had been summoned to serve on yet another trial involving O.J. Simpson.

Instead, the approximately 1,200 people were called to the 11th floor of the courthouse throughout the day as potential jurors in the upcoming trial of John J. Famalaro, one of the county’s most notorious murder defendants.

“When I saw this many people here, I thought it must be something big,” one woman said as she waited in line.

Ushered into the courtroom 150 people at a time, the groups were introduced to Famalaro, who turned to them and said hello. They were then told a little bit about the case by Judge John J. Ryan and asked if they would be able to serve on a trial that would not conclude until mid-July.

“You all sound so happy to be here,” Ryan joked at one point.

Famalaro is accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and bludgeoning 23-year-old Denise Huber after her car broke down on the Corona del Mar Freeway in June 1991. He was arrested three years later after authorities found Huber’s body in a freezer in a stolen rental truck parked in the driveway of Famalaro’s home in

Dewey, Ariz. He has pleaded not guilty. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty.

As the morning wore on, word spread among potential jurors about which high-profile case they had been summoned for.

“I remember the name of the victim but that’s it,” one man said to others in the group before entering the courtroom. “That means I’m probably in.”

Said another: “It must have happened a long time ago because I’ve never heard of [Famalaro].”

The judge said that among the acceptable reasons for being excused from the trial were: financial hardship; having an employer who does not pay for jury service; pending surgery or doctor’s appointments; or vacation plans that have already been paid for and cannot be refunded.

By day’s end, the prospective jury pool had been whittled down to about 475 people who were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding pretrial publicity.

Deputy Public Defender Leonard Gumlia reviewed 448 of the questionnaires and said they showed that based on publicity, roughly 83% of the people recognized the case and about 48% stated that Famalaro is guilty or should die or both. Also, approximately 42% of the group said that, based on pretrial publicity, they did not know if they could be fair, Gumlia said.

The panel of 12 jurors is expected to be selected eventually from a group of about 150 people once actual jury selection begins on April 21, Gumlia said.

Citing extensive pretrial publicity, Famalaro’s attorneys have so far tried unsuccessfully to get the case moved out of Orange County. They still have a motion pending before the state Supreme Court.

Some members of the jury pool who were excused expressed relief because they did know about Huber’s slaying and were disturbed by it.

Among them was Newport Beach resident Jason Crabbe, who was excused because his employer would not pay for lengthy jury service.

“Everyone’s heard of that case,” said Crabbe, 26. “It’s pretty hard to forget a guy keeping her in a freezer. Pretty brutal.”

Cheri Curtis, a 31-year-old Lake Forest resident, said serving on such a long trial would have been too difficult on her work at a computer company and on her family.

“It’s too long a case,” Curtis said. “But also dealing with it being a death penalty case is hard. It would be really tough to judge someone in that way.”

Superior Court Executive Officer Alan Slater said Monday’s enormous jury pool made for uncomfortable and crowded conditions, forcing officials to “use every nook and cranny” of available space.

“When we do something like this, it taxes everyone,” Slater said. “We have to put people through a lot of misery.”

The large jury pool caused gridlock outside the courtroom.

“This doesn’t seem to be legal or healthy,” one woman said. “It’s a fire hazard. Maybe we can sue them, then they’ll really have to pick a jury.”