Surging COVID-19 cases shut down trial
Court system struggles to return to normal as backlogs continue
The only jury trial underway in Hartford’s criminal courthouse shut down Monday — after repeated, Covid-related false starts — because the judge couldn’t keep enough jurors seated to hear the evidence.
The latest COVID surge has upset plans to reopen both the state and federal court systems, both still struggling with backlogs from last year’s shutdowns.
Connecticut’s chief federal judge disclosed last week that all trials scheduled before February are again delayed, although judges may begin scheduling new trials after Feb. 1. The state court administration said the Judicial Branch is summoning fewer jurors because of the latest coronavirus surge, but is not suspending all trials.
“As for the future impact on the branch’s operations, this is the type of challenge we have been dealing with throughout the pandemic and no doubt will continue to deal with for the foreseeable future,” a spokeswoman for the state courts said Monday. “While we have significantly scaled back on the summoning of jurors in the face of the recent surge, we have not suspended them entirely. The trial judges have extensive discretion to excuse jurors, but we have been gratified by those jurors who have appeared in response to a jury summons and expressed a willingness to discharge the essential public duty of serving on a jury.”
The defendant in the trial that came to an abrupt halt in Superior Court in Hartford Monday is Paul Griffin, 35, who has been jailed, unable to post bail, since his arrest 17 months ago for a domestic assault. He is accused of burglary with bodily injury, assault with a weapon, assault with physical injury and interfering with an emergency call. His trial was scheduled after he moved in court to have the charges dismissed, claiming his right to a speedy trial was being violated.
Griffin’s trial was to have begun in December, but jury selection was upset when a person described as “one of the trial participants” disclosed he had been exposed to COVID and as many as four jurors were allowed to be excused after expressing concern about infection.
Jury selection resumed after the holiday break. Nine jurors were impaneled in an effort to have sufficient alternates to deal with possible infections.
One of the jurors was excused due to a COVID infection on Jan. 6, the same day the jury was sworn in and the presentation of evidence began.
The court was closed Jan. 7 because of snow.
The court spokeswoman said “two people associated with the matter tested positive for COVID” on Monday, stopping the trial.
“In response, the Court held a Teams hearing with the defendant, his counsel and the state to notify all parties of the development,” the spokeswoman said. “The Court is giving defense counsel time to confer with his client before deciding next steps; at this point the Court has not declared a mistrial.”
Matthew Costello, Griffin’s lawyer, said he anticipates asking Superior Court Judge Frank M. D’addabbo, Jr. for a mistrial, which would require rescheduling of the trial and jury selection.