Judge orders 300 jurors in W.Va. case
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A federal judge is ordering a jury pool of 300 southern West Virginians in the criminal case against former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship.
In southern West Virginia federal court Thursday, Judge Irene Berger ordered a random selection of 300 prospective jurors from the Charleston and Huntington divisions.
Blankenship’s trial is scheduled to start Oct. 1 in Charleston. He faces charges he conspired to violate mine safety standards at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia. An explosion at the mine in 2010 killed 29 men.