Jury selection is scheduled to continue Tuesday for the Santa Barbara County Superior Court trial of a Santa Maria man accused of fatally shooting his father and critically injuring his mother at an Orcutt park on Labor Day weekend in 2012.
Brian Keith Reid, 42, is charged with murder in the death of Santa Maria Valley resident William Forrest Reid, 73, and attempted murder for shooting Pamela Reid, 66, who was critically wounded in the incident on Sept. 3, 2012.
The victims are the father and mother of the defendant, who is represented by Robert Ikola from the Santa Barbara County Public Defender’s Office.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Kevin Duffy is prosecuting the case.
Potential jurors showed up Friday for the start of selection, which was interrupted for a bit when Judge Rogelio Flores had to handle a verdict reached by a jury in a different case.
Flores began trimming the field of more than 100 candidates by asking who could not serve on a jury for a trial expected to stretch into mid-May. Typically, those released are recalled for a shorter trial or in a month that better suits their schedule.
The defendant is accused of firing multiple shots shortly before 6 p.m. on Labor Day in 2012 at Orcutt Community Park on Sage Crest Drive.
Reid fled the scene in a black Jeep, which was found a short time later by Santa Maria Police Department officers on the Stowell Road overpass to Highway 101. The vehicle was abandoned, and investigators believe Reid received a ride from a passerby to Marian Regional Medical Center, where he went for an unrelated medical issue.
The attack was carried out with a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, authorities said later.
In recent months, the trial has been delayed while attorneys awaited reports from experts.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.